


Epic Heroes (hizzie)

by JPthewriter



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Hizzie - Freeform, Lesbian Character, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JPthewriter/pseuds/JPthewriter
Summary: When a threat comes to the school, it's up to Hope to stop it. At least, that's what she thought. Turns out, trying to play hero isn't easy when Hope becomes possess and is placed into a alternate monster fested world with Lizzie Saltzman... Who she happened to be falling for.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman, Landon Kirby & Josie Saltzman
Comments: 16
Kudos: 69





	1. Strange Creature

_ It's been a year. _

_ Aunt Freya says it gets better with time, but, as the more time passes by I don't feel any better, mostly the opposite.  _

_I've been trying to get better_.

_I've talked with my counselor, but talking doesn't seem to work out very well with me. So, as suggested, Ms Tig thought I'd write to you. And, here we are._

_There's not a lot that's happened after you both left._

_I don't visit home much anymore. I'm staying full time at the school and even managed to find a boyfriend, who of course can't die. You'd like him, mom. I know dad did, and sometimes I wonder if that's the reason why I worked so hard to be with him..._

_I don't have many friends, never really did fit in so well anyway._

_ A part of my social life, there's been some strange things happening at the school. Just two weeks ago, a mysterious black goo was stuck on the gate of my school. Dr Saltzman was able to remove most of it and told us not to worry about it. What he doesn't know, I happened to have a sample of the mystery substance. _

_This substance seems to be alive, in some way at least. It moves but it doesn't have any eyes, or legs for that matter. It eats nearly anything I give it. Even objects like paper or pencils_.

 _I know I should probably leave it alone, but I have a gut feeling that there's something bad coming. But if it's just my mind playing tricks on me, at least I'll be able to discover a new species right_?

_ Whatever this creature is, I need to make sure it isn't a threat to the school,  _

_It's the only thing I have left_.

Suddenly, the door of Hope's room opens with a loud creak. Her blue eyes landed on her desk, she tapped the pencil in her hand on her journal. A pair of hands covered her eyes, Hope smiled softly.

"Guess who," Landon mutters with a smile of his own.

"The captain of the geek squad?" Hope snickered as Landon uncovered her eyes. 

"You could've just said my name, you know." Landon plopped down on Hope's bed. "And I have you know, those geeks are just the underdogs that are waiting for the perfect moment to prove themselves and shock everyone." 

"How inspiring," Hope chuckled. 

"What are you writing?" Landon asked, he leaned back on the bed, his head tilted slightly. 

"Um," Hope says while looking down at her journal. She shrugs, "Just some assignment for Ms Tig." Hope closed the journal with her pencil inside. "I'm done with it anyway." 

"Oh, well that's perfect timing."

Hope raised an eyebrow at him, "Why?"

"Don't tell me you forgot." Landon sat up, he leaned forward a little with his elbows propped on his thighs.

"I didn't?" Hope grimaced, "Could you remind me though?" 

"Our date."

"Right," Hope sighed. She glanced down at her bag that was resting against her chair, she turned back to Landon. "Could we reschedule?"

"Again?"

"Sorry." Hope frowned, she stood up from her seat and walked over to her bed. "I'm not really feeling well tonight." Hope sat beside Landon and wrapped her arm around his waist, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Forgive me?"

Landon leaned his head on top of Hope's, disappointed. "I forgive you," he says for what felt like the hundredth time. "But maybe you need to get checked out or something, you've been feeling sick for a while."

"I'll be fine," Hope says with a shrug. "Maybe all the sickness I never caught when I was younger is finally catching up to me." Hope smiled.

Landon slowly unraveled from Hope, "And on that note, maybe I should go." He smiled as well, he leaned over to Hope to kiss her before he walked over to the school. "Feel better soon," He tells her before leaving the room. 

Hope stared at the door for a few moments longer, she then got up and walked over to the door. She opened the door and peaked out, hoping no one would make their way over to her room. Luckily, the halls school were quiet and empty. 

Hope ducked back into her room and quickly grabbed her back and grabbed a jacket. She returned to the door when she heard her roommate shift in bed.

"You know, if you keep sneaking out like this, Dr. Saltzman is going to find out." Alyssa sat up, she leaned against her headboard. "And, I wonder who'll spill first about your mystery adventures at night. Maybe your roommate perhaps?"

Hope didn't turn around, she didn't say anything and left the room regardless of whatever threat that was supposed to be. Plus, if she were to get caught, she had a good cover story, and also happened to be one of Dr. Saltzman's favorites.

Hope made it toward the lounge when she crashed into someone unexpectedly. 

"Oh," Josie winced.

"Sorry," Hope said. 

"It's okay," Josie replied. She held a few books in her arms and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What are you doing up?" Josie asked, her eyes meeting Hope's.

"I just need to wolf out for a bit," Hope glanced down at Josie's books, "What are you doing up so late?"

"I thought I should study a few spells out at the deck," Josie avoided Hope's eyes. "Turns out I didn't do much studying." Hope raised her eyebrows, before she could say anything, Josie cleared her throat and thrusted a pair of keys at Hope. "If you're going out, you can take my dad's car. Just be back before sunrise."

Hope took the keys and was going to thank the siphoner, but Josie swiftly brushed past her and disappeared around the corner. Hope shrugged off the situation and continued on her way.

It didn't take long for Hope to realize what Josie meant earlier, as she nearly bumped into Penelope. 

The two stare at one another for a second, Hope raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm not going to snitch on you. You were studying with Josie, right?" a slight smirk on Hope's lips. 

Penelope quickly wiped her eyes before holding up her hands with a shrug, "You got me there." The witch eyed the car keys in Hope's hand. "What are you up to?"

"I need to wolf out," Hope told her. "Goodnight." The Tribrid walked off but Penelope quickly followed behind. 

"Hey, wait." Penelope grabbed her arm. "Mind if I come along?"

"I mind very much." Hope made her way over to Dr. Saltzman's car, Penelope hot on her heels.

"Wouldn't you want a partner?"

Hope nearly chuckled, "I don't think I'll need one tonight." She unlocked the car and opened the driver's door. Hope shrugged off her backpack and slung it to the backseat.

"I know what you're doing," Penelope says in a mischief tone.

Hope stepped away from the car, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your experiments." 

"I don't have experiments."

"So, what would you call testing a million spells on that mystery creature Dr. Saltzman swore he took care of?" 

Hope sighed, "how did you know that?"

"I have my ways," Penelope shrugged. "So, what do you say? Can I join you?"

"Why?" Hope questioned.

"I'm curious." 

Hope rolled her eyes and sat in the car. She and Penelope weren't exactly best friends, Hope didn't have one of those besides Landon, but if Penelope was aware of Hope's night adventures, there was probably a lot more she somewhat gained the knowledge of. Before Hope closed the door, she told Penelope to get in and the witch smiled. 

They drove for a few minutes in silence, luckily the small cabin wasn't far away and the minute Hope parked outside of it, she grabbed her bag and jumped out. Penelope got out of the car as well but hesitated to walk toward the cabin. "Is this where you really keep it?" 

Hope peered at Penelope over her shoulder, "Oh, so you didn't know that part huh?" Penelope didn't reply as Hope mumbled a spell and the cabin door opened with a loud creaking cry. Once Hope got inside, she took off her jacket and walked over to one of the rooms. Penelope followed behind slowly. 

Hope sat down on the carpet flooring and waved her hand, in the middle of the room was a jar that was trapped inside a boundary circle. Penelope sat beside Hope and stared at the jar. "What do you think it is?" Penelope asked.

"No clue," Hope responded.

The black goo crawled slowly around the jar. 

Hope undid the boundary spell and opened the jar, she sat it down on its side. 

"As your lap partner, I need to know what's our first step." 

Hope opened her bag and pulled out her journal, and a poorly taped up box. "See if it's hungry," Hope answered. She gave Penelope the box and opened her journal.

The box leaned to one side in Penelope's hand, the witch held the box as far away from her as she could. "What is this?" 

"Don't worry, it's just a snake." Hope kept her eyes on the goo that slowly slid out of the jar. "This thing seems to eat everything I give it. So I thought why not give it something a little bigger?" 

"Right," Penelope mumbled as she sat the box on the ground. 

"Go on, open it." Hope reached into her bag to pull out scissors and gave them to Penelope. As she cut open the box carefully, The goo was slowly making its way over to Hope.

"Got it," Penelope opened the box and carefully pulled out the small snake. 

"Okay, you have to put it on top of the thing," Hope points to the creature. "That's usually how it eats." Penelope nodded and sat the snake on the goo. Nothing happened at first, the snake sat fairly still as the goo seemed to have frozen for a second. Although, the second the snake began to move, the goo stuck to the snake and moved a lot faster than it had been before.

The snake suddenly hissed as the unknown creature seemingly absorbed the snake. Within minutes, the snake lay lifelessly on the carpet, the last of it's remains were wiped from existence. 

The goo grew in size a little, and Hope telepathy swiped the goo toward the jar again, and Penelope turned to Hope. "What do you think it is?" Hope glanced at Penelope, slightly confused. 

"I... Don't know," Hope said.

Penelope eyed the goo, "As your lap partner, I need to know what's our first step."

Hope stared at Penelope, in all her time of experimenting this creature, she never experienced memory loss. 

Maybe this experiment wasn't a complete loss.

* * *

As the night went on, I realized my new lab partner had no clue of her memory loss. Of course she didn't believe me until I had video proof of the mystery creature eating another one of my pencils. Besides that, Penelope and I dabbled into dark magic. She thought we could use it to break the creature's bones, but I argued rightly so that the creature didn't have bones. Surprising, the creature turned Liquid, it stayed that way and I'm not quite sure if we killed it or not. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to tell before we had to return to the school.

“Hey, you hear about that crazy blonde?”

Earlier the next day, Hope was sitting in the relatively empty library. Two boys were sitting in front of her, and Hope looked up at them as they continued to talk.

“You mean Saltzman?” The blonde boy asked.

The boy next to him nodded, his short curly hair bouncing slightly. “Yeah, I hear she had a meltdown last night.”

“What about?”

“Who knows,” The curly haired boy chuckled, “She probably felt sleepy or something.” They laugh as Hope looks down at her journal again.

I may not get any answers from Dr. Saltzman, but maybe I could from someone close to him.

“Mikaelson!”

Hope flinched as Penelope nearly darted toward her. Hope shut her journal as Penelope sat down beside her. “I have a plan,” she whispered.

“For?”

“To bring our baby back to life,” Penelope says as if it had been obvious. Hope chose to ignore that fact that Penelope referred to the creature as their baby and allowed Penelope to continue. “I have a spell in the making, we need to get back to the cabin to try it out.” Penelope pulled out a sheet of paper to show Hope a spell. “I think if we could make it turn back into a solid, it'll be resurrected.”

“I guess we'll have to test that theory,” Hope says. She leaned forward, “Do you think Dr. Saltzman has any more information about it? He did, “take care of it” right?”

Penelope folded the paper again, “I doubt he'll tell us anything considering he dismissed the whole thing to begin with.” Penelope had a point, curiosity filled the school the day that the goo appeared. People gave all kinds of theories about it and many questioned Dr. Saltzman if the creature was trouble. About a week later, Dr. Saltzman held an Assembly to explain that everything was under control and not to worry about it. Oddly enough, everyone seemed to accept that and went on with their day.

Everyone except Hope of course. 

“What about the twins?” Hope suggested, “They do nearly everything with him, including taking all that goo off the gate.”

“I'm not in a good spot with either of them,” Penelope admitted. “But maybe you could ask around, they probably have something to add to our research.” Hope found it funny that within one night, Penelope included herself wholeheartedly into this little investigation. Hope didn't mind too much either, it was nice to have a friend. 

“I'll try Lizzie,” Hope said.

“Uh, good with that.” Penelope shoved her spell into her pocket. “I wouldn't expect too much from her.” 

“Gotta start somewhere,” Hope replied.

Penelope nodded before standing up, “I should get going. Are we going to the cabin tonight?” 

Hope nodded, “tonight, same time as last night.”

“Great.” Penelope smiled, “See you later, lab partner.” She leaves the library and Hope stays behind a few minutes later.

Hope soon left the library and stopped by Ms. Tig's office where she caught sight of a few other students sitting in chairs that were positioned in the middle of the room, in a circle. Hope stayed at the door, she eyed a few of the students that settled into the seats and saw that Lizzie was one of them. 

Hope leaned against the door frame as a few more students came in. Lizzie was staring down at her lap, her arms crossing over her chest. 

There happened to be a free chair next to the blonde, but as soon as Hope stepped away from the door, someone stole her seat. The Tribrid sighed before returning to her position and leaned against the doorframe. Suddenly, Hope felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. 

Hope spun around to see Ms. Tig, smiling softly at her. “Hi Hope, are you joining us today?” 

Hope glanced behind her at the other students who were now looking at the both of them. Hope turned around to face the counselor, who had a cup of coffee in her hand. “Uh, no. I was just curious.” 

“Come on,” Ms. Tig says while entangling her arm with Hope's.

“No, really I wasn't planning to–”

“I think you should give it a chance.” Ms. Tig closed the door and brought Hope over to an empty chair and sat her down. After Hope slowly sat down, Ms. Tig walked over to her desk to set down her coffee. Hope stared at the ground as the group remained quiet, she could feel their eyes on her and she only wished for this meeting to pass by quickly.

“Good afternoon guys.” Ms. Tig smiled brightly. “I'm happy about this turn out.” Ms. Tig looks over at Hope, “I'm also excited to see a new face. Why don't we all say hi to Hope.” A few of the students say hi, and Hope nearly melts in her chair from the awkwardness of it all. She had been fine having one on one sessions with Ms. Tig, but these group sessions were just dreadful. 

Satisfied with most of the group's response, Ms. Tig clapped her hands. “Alright class, let's start with a short warmup.” Ms. Tig sat up on her desk, “What's something you are afraid of?” She asked the group. “Name something you're afraid of, and together as a group, we'll give you a solution on how to overcome your fear.” Ms. Tig tilts her head a little while pondering a thought, “For example, I'm afraid of dogs. Now, what are some things that I could do to overcome this?” 

“Spend time with dogs,” A student suggested.

Ms. Tig smiled, “Exactly. The more time I spend with dogs the more comfortable I will be around them.” Ms. Tig pointed to the student that answered. “Now, it's your turn. How about we start with you?” 

The girl confessed her fear of being afraid of spiders. Next, a few more students talked of their fears, most were trivial and were things like bugs, animals or even some people. The group seemed a little too comfortable sharing their fears, it made Hope feel just a little uneasy. That was until it was Lizzie's turn, and suddenly, the mood changed drastically. 

“Alone.” The room fell silent, some eyes were glued to Lizzie while others looked away. “I guess… I'm afraid to be alone,” Lizzie added, her arms remained crossed and she stared at the wooden floor. 

“A fear that's felt by many,” Ms. Tig says. “Now, what do you think is something that you can do to overcome this fear?” 

Lizzie shrugged, “Not be crazy?” She chuckled dryly, “Guess I can't change that, huh?” 

“There are other ways to overcome your fear.” Ms. Tig took her cup of coffee, staring down at it while she collected her thoughts. “There are a range of things you can accomplish. Like for instance, surrounding yourself with your peers, family, maybe even helping someone in need.” Ms. Tig looked up from the coffee cup. “You could join clubs. Connecting with others about your hobbies is a great way to surround yourself with company.

“And you can start by looking around at the people in this room.” Ms. Tig motions toward the students. “You may think that you're alone in the world out there, but in here, you'll always have us. Isn't that right?” Ms Tig asked the students, they all muttered in agreement. 

Hope wasn't sure if Ms. Tig's words affected Lizzie in any way. The blonde was now slouching in her seat, her arms still crossed and she still stared at the floor, her Expression blank as ever. 

A few more students share their fears, and then all eyes were left on Hope. Ms. Tig smiled at her encouragingly, but Hope eyed the floor, avoiding the counselor's eyes as a habit she's been used to. 

“Can I skip?”

“There's nothing to be ashamed of,” Ms. Tig replies, “What we say in this room stays in this room.”

“So is that a no?” 

Ms. Tig hummed, she glanced at the other students. “I don't know, let's ask your peers here. What do you all say?”

“No one should be forced to talk if they don't want to,” A boy says, he sat up straight in his seat but after he spoke, he slouched back down. Ms. Tig nods at him before turning back to Hope.

“You may skip,” She says. “But, never be afraid to talk to us, we're all here for you.” Hope bit the inside of her cheek, Ms. Tig stood up from the table and sat her coffee cup down. She starts a lesson that Hope hardly paid attention to. Instead, her mind was pondering her thoughts.

Luckily, the lesson was soon wrapped up and as soon as Emma dismissed them, Hope nearly bolted out of the room. She needed something to distract her mind, she needed to remind herself why she came to that session anyway.

Hope stood outside the door and watched a few students leave. She leaned against the wall until Lizzie ambled out of the room with her head down.

“Hey,” Hope says, pushing herself off the wall. 

Lizzie glanced at her, “What?” 

“Can I have a minute?” Hope asked.

“Sure, but I have places to be.” Lizzie started walking and Hope quickly followed behind.

“That's okay, I just need a minute anyway,” Hope replied. 

“Then talk.”

“Okay, so,” Hope paused. “Um, I was wondering if you happened to know anything about that black goo stuff that was on the school's gate a few weeks ago.”

Lizzie eyed Hope before facing forward again, “Why would I know anything about that?”

“Doesn't your dad ever tell you about stuff like this?” Hope questioned, Lizzie seemed to have been walking faster and being just a lot shorter than the blonde, Hope felt as if she was practically running to keep up. “I just thought that maybe, just maybe you would know what it was.”

“No, My dad doesn't tell me stuff like that,” Lizzie says, “Not anymore.” She nearly whispers, “Are we done now?”

“You don't know anything?” Hope frowned, “Like, anything at all?” 

Lizzie stopped abruptly, she turned to Hope. “Why do you care about that thing?” 

“I'm just curious.”

“How about you stop playing detective and go spend your time being mopey or something.” Lizzie passed Hope's, knocking into her shoulder roughly. She turned a corner and was out of Hope's sight the moment Hope turned around. 

With a sigh, Hope leaned against the wall. 

Mysteries suck. 

* * *

Later that night, Hope was in her room packing up a few things in her bag. For the remainder of her day, she spent some time hiding away in the library trying to come up with some kind of spell that could “bring back” her and Penelope's mystery baby. Although Penelope had a spell of her own, Hope wanted to have a few backups at least. Though, she never experienced a creature that can be liquefied. 

She thought about questioning Josie about the creature but decided against it, she and the twins weren't close, never had been anyway.

Around the time she was about to head out of the door, the door opened with Landon strolling in with a smile. Hope immediately drops the back down next to her bed and walks over to Landon to give him a hug. 

“Hey," She greets him.

“Hi,” Landon placed a peck on Hope's cheek. “Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day.” Hope pulled away from him and took his wrist. She took him over to her bed and sat down.

“Yeah, I'm still a little sick,” She tells him, although she knew she couldn't keep this lie up forever. 

“You're still sick?” Landon frowned, “I feel bad, I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to do.” He chuckled a little.

“Don't worry too much,” Hope replied, “I just need a lot of rest.” She shrugged.

“Do you want me to stay the night?”

“Ew,” Alyssa grunted, “No.” 

Hope glanced at Alyssa before shaking her head, she turned to Landon. “As much as I hate her, I kind of agree.” Hope ran her hands through Landon's hair softly. She noticed he wasn't meeting her eyes. “I promise I'll be fine.” She smiled softly at him. 

“If you say so,” He says with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Landon stood up suddenly, they shared a chaste kiss before Landon walked over to the door. He wishes Hope a goodnight before leaving. Hope stared at the door after Landon left, she felt bad for lying to him but at the same time, it was just much easier.

Hope sighed before standing up again, she reached for her bag and walked over to her desk to collect her journal. 

Alyssa rolled over to her stomach and eyed Hope. “Don't tell me you're cheating on that loser.” Hope glanced at her, Alyssa snickered. “I mean, even you could do better but that'll be just a little fucked up.” 

The Tribrid rolled her eyes, “I'm not cheating.” 

“Then where are you going every night?”

“To mind my business,” Hope remarks before quickly leaving the room. She made her way throughout the school quietly and met up with Penelope who was already standing by Alaric's car, his keys in her hands. 

Penelope drove them back to the cabin and they started to work on their experiment right away. And like Hope expected, Penelope's spell didn't work, but neither did Hope's. About an hour later, they were trying different things while keeping in mind this little creature could wipe one's memory. 

After about another hour of trying yet another spell, Penelope sat against the wall with a frustrated huff. 

“Note to self, resurrection spells probably don't work on something that's probably not dead,” Hope says as she wrote down in her journal. 

“How can it still be alive?” Penelope asked, “It doesn't do anything.”

“It can still eat,” Hope pointed out. “But that's about it.” She stopped writing for a moment, “I think we broke it.” 

“Think we should touch it.” Penelope crawled toward the bowl. She stared down at it intently, “Couldn't hurt to try right?” 

“What if it consumes you?” Hope sat down her journal and joined Penelope next to the bowl. “I should do it.”

“Oh, because that idea is so much better?”

“We don't know what this is capable of, plus, what if it wipes you from the earth?”

“You'd probably be the only one to remember,” Penelope mumbled.

“And I'm not living with that barden.”

“And what if it does the same to you?” Penelope asked.

“It won't.”

The witch rolled her eyes, “That makes sense.” 

“I'll be careful,” Hope assured the witch. She grabbed the bowl. She dipped her hand inside the cold dark liquid. Once she pulled her hand out, the substance was clinging to her fingers, it felt like slime. 

“Woah.” Penelope eyes widened. 

Hope sat down the bowl to use her free hand to pull the creature off of her hand but it only stuck to her free hand. She looked up at Penelope, “This may have been a bad idea.” Hope stood up, the goo only stretched and refused to let her hands go. Hope shook her hands yet it didn't work. “Uh, help?” 

Penelope stood up as well, her eyes darting between the bowl and Hope, unsure of what to do. With a split second decision, Penelope made a swipe motion with her hand and the bowl slid over to the open boundary circle. 

“Um.” Hope looked down at her hands to see the creature was making its way up her arms. “Invidia,” Hope muttered and as soon as the spell was said, the creature grew rapidly and now passed her arms, crawling it's way to Hope's neck. “Bad idea!”

“Wait just hold on!” Penelope kneeled toward the circle and closed it, reciting a spell to add finishing touches. The spell forces Hope's body to pull toward the circle to where she was now trapped, the goo still making its way to her face. “Okay, that got worse!”

Hope tried pulling the black slime off but it fought back. Penelope closed her fist and pulled her hand back. The slime pulled back further from Hope's skin. It was beginning to work, until suddenly, Penelope collapsed on the ground. 

“Pen?” Hope called out, she glanced down at herself to see that escaping this creature was hopeless. Still on the boundary circle, Hope couldn't fight against the consumption, and soon she fell to the ground, she could feel her skin absorbing the black slime.

And before she knew it, her world was captured by endless darkness. 

Back at the school, Landon snuck out of his room to visit Hope again. He felt bad for the girl, he knew there was something up yet he had no clue on how to help her. Maybe just his company would be enough, he thought to himself over and over before he actually left his home. But when he went to Hope's room though, her bed was empty. 

“She left about an hour ago,” Alyssa says suddenly, Landon jumps back a little, startled by her voice. Alyssa sat up and turned on her bedside lap. Afterwards, she stared at Landon. “I'm surprised it took you this long to notice.”

Landon furrowed his eyebrows, “Do you know where she's going?”

“We're roommates.” Alyssa scoffed, “Not friends.”

“So, that's a no?”

“Yes, it's a no.” Alyssa crossed her arms. 

“Well, do you have any idea of where she might be going?” Landon walked further into the room after closing the door. He walked over to Hope's side of the room and pushed around a few things on her desk. “She said she hasn't been feeling well lately.”

“Hm,” Alyssa hums. “Maybe wherever she's going every night is making her feel better.”

Landon glanced at the witch, “every night?”

“For the past few weeks,” Alsysa confirmed. “At first, she left really late, probably thinking I was asleep or something but now she doesn't seem to put in the effort.” Alyssa shook her head. “Now that I think about it, it's not so bad now that I can get company to myself for a few hours.”

Landon looked back at Hope's desk, choosing to ignore Alyssa going on and on about her “guests”. Landon wiped his face before realizing he probably wasn't going to get anything out of snooping around Hope's belongings and he soon left the room.

Searching for some advice, Landon found himself standing in front of the siphoners room. After a hesitant knock, Landon leaned closer to the door as he heard Josie say, “Come In.” 

Landon opened the door and half smiled before closing the door behind him. Josie was sitting on her bed with a few books scattering around her. Landon joined her, he eyed the books. “What's all this?”

“Research,” Josie answered as she started writing something in her notebook. “This school hardly teaches any offensive magic, so I thought I should teach myself.”

Landon hummed as response, she propped his elbows on his thighs and stared at the ground for a few moments. Noticing the longing silence, Josie glanced up at the boy. “Did you need something?” She says softly.

“It's Hope,” Landon replied. 

Josie closed her notebook and straightened her back, giving Landon all of her attention. “What's up?” 

“I think something's wrong,” Landon admitted, he looked over his shoulder at Josie. “Like, She cancels our plans to apparently sneak out every night to do who knows what.” Landon frowned while looking back at the ground. “I know we haven't been dating for long but she seems so distant. You know, a lot more than she usually is. It's weird, it's like I'm slowly losing her but I haven't done anything wrong.”

“You ever think that she's just not interested in you anymore?” Josie questioned, “It happens.”

Landon shook his head, “What? No… I don't think it's that… I don't want it to be that.” 

“And if it is?”

There was a pause of silence that filled the room. Landon interlocked his hands together and shrugged his shoulders. “I… I will just fight to get her back.”

“Your loyalty is inspiring,” Josie says. “I just hope it's for the right person.”

“Of course it is,” Landon smiled slightly. “I know it is.”

“Okay,” Josie glanced down at her lap, “I guess… Time will tell.”

“How are you doing with the spells?” Landon asked suddenly. 

“Fine, I guess.” Josie reached over to a book that was resting beside her and pulled it over her lap. “I've learned about six more spells, I can't exactly practice them on anyone yet, but it's better to be safe than sorry.”

Landon nods, “Yeah… You're right actually.”

“Thanks,” Josie smiled.

“Maybe I should do my own research,” He says, more to himself. He then turned to Josie again. “I hardly know anything about what a phoenix can do and let's be honest, this school is lacking critical information.”

“True,” The siphoner agreed. “We have thousands of books here, and some only have bits and pieces about some of the rare things. I could help you look around if you want. ” 

“I appreciate that but, I was thinking of discovering myself with my girlfriend… If she has the time.”

“Right, of course.” Josie cleared her throat, “I'm still here if she's… Busy, with whatever.”

“Thanks,” Landon says with a smile. “I should probably go, leave you to your studies.” He stood up from the bed.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Landon nods at her before walking over to the door. The moment he opened it, Josie called his name. Pausing, Landon gazed at her.

“If my thought is close to anything that's true,” Josie pauses. “I don't think you should fight for a spot in someone's life who won't return the same commitment. Sometimes it's best to let them go so that you can walk away less hurt than what you would feel if you stayed.” 

Landon stares at Josie for a while, unsure of what to say, or feel at this moment. Landon decides to duck out of the room with Josie's words swirling around in his thoughts. 


	2. Letter From Mother

Penelope held her arm around Hope securely as the two students returned to the school. The witch woke up just a few minutes after falling unconscious and quickly got herself and Hope out of that cabin. The strange goo was nowhere in sight but Penelope had a pretty good clue as to where it was. "Are you okay?" Penelope whispered to the shorter girl.

"Think so," Hope muttered. She had woken up when Penelope was already driving back to the school. She mentioned feeling like something was off, and of course Penelope had to remind her of her brilliant idea to touch the strange creature, which both girls now realized was an absolute dumb idea. 

While they snuck back into the lobby, Penelope brought Hope to one of the sofas and Hope removed her arm from around Penelope's neck, she leaned further into the sofa, crossing her arms. 

"Should I go get someone for you or something?" Penelope asked.

"No." Hope shook her head, "I think I'll be fine."

"Yeah, because a creature that can eat just about anything is now inside of you. That surely sounds like one hell of a good time."

"I'm fine," Hope says sternly. "Just, just give me a minute. I feel... Weird." Hope's brows knit together. "I should be asking if you're alright, you passed out."

"I'm not really sure," Penelope says. "I don't normally pass out like that." Penelope sat down beside Hope. "I have a feeling we'll regret this later though."

"For now." Hope looked at Penelope, "Let's just think of this as another experiment."

"One that could probably wipe you from existence?" 

Hope tilted her head, "Yeah... Something like that." She looked over at the fireplace. 

"We should probably head off to bed soon," Penelope says after a few moments of silence. She dangles Dr. Saltzman's keys in her hand. "I have to return these to the headmaster before he banishes me to detention forever." Penelope stood up. 

"Let me do it." Hope stood up and grabbed the keys, she stumbled a little before balancing upright. Penelope raised an eyebrow at her.

"You sure you got this?" 

The Tribrid nodded, "Yes. Besides, I have a better cover story if I'm caught." 

"Touche." Hope walked out of the lounge area and Penelope followed. They say goodbye to one another before splitting off. Once Penelope was alone, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Penelope cursed under her breath and slowly turned around.

"Where were you?," Josie inquired. She was leaning her shoulder on the wall with her arms crossed, her eyes sent daggers. 

"Out." Penelope shrugs before swiftly turning around. 

"Have you been sneaking off with Hope all this time?" 

Penelope stopped and couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips, she turned around again. "So what if I was?"

Josie raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you and Hope were close friends." 

"I didn't think I would have to share with you my relationships with everyone," Penelope remarked. "Besides, I'm clearly free anyway." She adds, bitterly.

"Right... Well, maybe you should encourage your best friend to talk to her boyfriend. He's worried about her." Josie may have been facing her, but Penelope noticed Josie avoiding her eyes. "Maybe you'll find the time to tell her whenever you two sneak off again. By the way, what do two best friends usually do at this time a night?"

"None of your business." Penelope smiled sweetly. She turned around again and began to walk off, yet Josie followed her.

"What's so bad about knowing where two friends are going in the middle of the night?" Josie asked, "Shouldn't be much of a problem unless you have something to hide."

"Are you suggesting something?" Penelope stopped again. 

Josie shook her head, "Of course not. Just wondering what my friend has been up to lately." Penelope rolled her eyes at that statement. Ever since the breakup, there's been tension between both girls to the point Josie started to blatantly ignore Penelope. But for whatever foolish reason, Penelope stuck around and brothered Josie long enough and managed to get involved with her again. But as Josie confirmed it the night before, they were and should remain friends. Just friends.

"You know what?" Penelope says with a head shake. She had so much to say to her ex, but she realized none of it mattered, not anymore. "Goodnight." Was the last thing Penelope uttered that night and walked away again. This time, Josie didn't follow her.

The next day, Hope was walking toward the school's entrance with a plan set in motion. A plan that wasn't hers. 

When Hope returned the keys safely without getting caught, she went back to her room where Alyssa was just sending off some student. She was oddly happier as well too, Hope ignored whatever curiosity she had about what her roommate does behind closed doors and called it a night. Later, she woke up earlier than usual and went to visit the lounge again to enjoy a cup of coffee she happened to steal from the staff's room a few days ago. 

Oddly enough, Hope hadn't remembered much else after that. And now, she was walking outside of the school. Well, she doesn't go far.

"Hope Andrea Mikaelson!"

Hope stopped momentarily, she blinked a few times before looking around. She realized she was standing outside of the school when a hand grabbed her arm.

Lizzie pulled Hope back inside the school and dragged her straight to Dr. Saltzman's office. Once they made it there, Hope pulled back her arm. "Ow!" 

"Give it." Lizzie held out her hand.

"What?" Hope questioned, she held her arm in the spot Lizzie grabbed her. 

"Don't play stupid with me, hand it over," The blonde demands. But Hope had no clue what she was on about. 

"Hand what over?" 

"The thing you stole."

"I didn't steal anything!" Without arguing further on this topic, Lizzie stepped forward and turned Hope around. She opened Hope's bag and by the time Hope turned around, Lizzie was holding a knife in her hand. 

"Try to be more stealthy, shortstack."

"What?" Hope reached to grab the knife, "I didn't steal that-"

"Ah." Lizzie held the knife over her head, Hope dropped her arms, not even attempting to grab the knife. "I watched with my two eyes you walking into the archive room adjusting your sad excuse of a bag and had a gut feeling that you stole something. And here it is." She waved the knife around. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm... Sorry?"

"You bet your ass you are." Lizzie brushed past Hope, "See you in therapy." She left the office and Hope stood there, more or less confused about the whole interaction. She soon concluded that her little experiment needed to be put to an end.

* * *

So I may be in trouble. I don't remember how I spent most of my day besides being caught stealing something I don't remember taking. I'm a little nervous to find out what'll happen when Dr. Saltzman finds out, I'm more nervous about the fact that I don't have an explanation for stealing the knife, other than that then stealing a piece of slime that's inhabiting my body. 

If I don't find out what else this creature is capable of, It might cause a lot more harm.

For the rest of the day, Hope avoided pretty much everyone. Dr. Saltzman had been out handling some business which meant Hope didn't have a shot at driving away. She didn't want to cause any more issues by stealing one of the staff members' cars so she stayed hidden in her room. She was afraid to walk out of it and face whatever consequence there was for stealing an artifact from the archive room. 

Hope went over a few new spells she had been taught over the last week until she felt herself falling asleep. 

As Hope's face hit the bed, she heard a faint whisper, almost as if she could hear someone calling out to her. The whispers grew louder and louder until Hope finally forced her eyes open and there, she saw darkness.

She was in a pit of darkness, she couldn't see anyone or hear a thing, yet, she felt them. At least, she assumed she felt the presence of another being, a few actually. She spun around a few times eyeing her surroundings, maybe wondering if she could see just a glint of light somewhere, she needed to find the light, it was her only way out. 

Hope began to run, she had no clear direction but her fear of the unknown grew. She ran and ran until she felt her legs stinging, she bent down for a moment, letting herself catch breath when she dropped to her knees. 

All her emotions came crashing down on top of her like heavy bricks. Hope could feel herself losing the ability to breath, she reached for her neck and gasped. Her eyes glossed with tears, her nose began to run, this feeling wasn't like something she's ever felt before. This feeling needed to end.

Hope cried out the times she could catch her breath. She screamed and screamed, she choked up on her own tears until she weakly lied on her side, cradling herself.

Suddenly, a beam of light shines down on her and she turns her head to look up at it. 

It was so bright.

It was safe.

Hope stood up the quickest she could and reached her arm up toward the light. It seemed to have come to her, falling down slowly like snow. Hope was blinded by the light.

She jolted awake.

Hope looked around herself to realize she was now in the dining room. Students were all around her but they paid her no mind, Hope was a little grateful for that. 

She had been sitting at the end of the table, several students sat away from her, and from Lizzie.

Lizzie was sitting across from Hope, she was reading a book, clearly ignoring the world around her. Hope watched Lizzie longer than necessary before getting up, she needed to find her lab partner and take care of this slimy monster. 

Hope dashed out of the dining room when she crashed into someone. "Hey, sorry-" Hope paused and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," Landon responded. "Are you busy at the moment?"

Yes.

"Um, no." Hope clutched the strap of her backpack. "Why?"

"I wanted to run something by you." Landon shows Hope a book, he flips over to a few pages before handing it to her. "After some thinking, I wanted to see if I could find out any information about myself, and luckily only after a few hours of scouting the library, I found something about a phoenix, aka, me."

Hope glanced down at the page, there had been a picture of a phoenix with a few paragraphs next to it. After reading, it wasn't exactly something Hope didn't already assume about the immortal creature. Hope looked up at Landon, "This doesn't say much that we don't already know."

"True," Landon says, "But look here." Landon stood beside her and pointed to the last paragraph. "There are many myths surrounding the occurrence of this phenomenal creature, perhaps it evolved from a bird species million years ago or was molded by a God. Regardless, this supernatural being is one of the biggest mysteries we have yet to solve," Landon read. He looked at Hope, "Do you think a God created me?" 

"I don't know, I think God would've been a little kind and made you more," Hope paused and squeezed Landon's arm. "Brawny?"

"Okay," Landon chuckled while closing the book.

Hope chuckled before shaking her head. "Seriously though, it's impossible for us to say what made you. How long have you been researching this?"

"Just today," Landon answered. "I was thinking about it last night." Landon stood on his tippy toes for a moment while clearing his throat. "I was... Going to ask you if you wanted to come along this mysterious journey last night, but you weren't there." 

"Oh, sorry." Hope scratched her arm. "I... Just needed a moment to wolf out a bit."

"Every night?"

"What?"

"Alyssa told me."

 _Damn you, Alyssa_. "Of course she did." Hope ran her fingers through her hair. "I didn't want to worry you-"

"Worry me about what?"

"I haven't been feeling myself lately," Hope says slowly. "And sometimes being out there just helps." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Landon inquired with a soft tone. "I would've stayed out there with you."

"I almost killed you once out there."

"I can't die permanently." Landon grinned. 

"Right," Hope chuckled. To change the subject, she sucked in a breath. "So back to the subject, I would like to help you out. But I doubt we'll find all our answers here."

"Yeah, Josie said something familiar." Landon looked down at his book. "I was thinking of visiting my parents."

"Are you sure?" Hope asked, although her mind lingered on what he and Josie were talking about. "Would Rafe be okay with that?"

"He would if I don't tell him," Landon replied with a shrug. "I'll just be asking a few questions anyway, they've mentioned knowing my real mother but they were so vague about everything. It didn't help when Rafe triggered his curse, they were so focused on keeping him out of the house, and I didn't want to leave him alone, so all my questions were put to rest." 

"So when-" Hope falls forward suddenly, she heard a loud ringing in her ears. Landon reached out to hold her upright, the whispers returned. 

"Hey, hey." Landon wrapped his arms securely around her, "Are you okay?"

Hope balanced herself and nodded quickly, although she was the complete opposite. She held onto Landon for support. "Um. When-When are you going to see your parents?"

"I was thinking about today," Landon responds, "I was going to ask if you wanted to come along but you seem..."

"Yeah, no, I'm good, I promise." Hope cleared her throat. "But I actually have some research of my own to study up on, would it be okay if you go to your parents and meet up with me later if you have any information?"

"Uh, Sure." Landon shrugged, "I can do that, will you be okay?"

Hope nodded, she gently pushed Landon away from her. "Now go to your parents. The faster you get there the faster you'll learn about your birth mom." Landon agreed silently with a nod, he leaned in to kiss Hope on the cheek before leaving quickly. 

Hope made her way through the halls looking for Penelope. Luckily, she found her in her lobby talking with a few witches when Hope pulled her to the side. Confused, Penelope says, "What?" 

"This experiment was a bad idea," Hope starts, Penelope sighed, only shaking her head. "It's like, possessing my body! And-and trapping me in some dark nightmare. We have got to get this out of me. "

"How?" Penelope asked, "We couldn't even get it off of you to begin with."

"Do you remember that one kid who got caught using dark magic in the old mill?" 

Penelope crossed her arms, nodding. "Yeah, David Brown right?" She scoffed, "Kid seriously needed help."

"Do you remember what spelled Ms. Tig used to help him?" Hope asked.

Penelope hummed as she thought for a second, "No, not specifically," She answered. "I just know that it was some cleansing spell."

"We need every cleansing spell in the books."

"You think that creature uses dark magic?" Penelope leaned closer as she whispered, her eyes quickly glance around at the few students who passed them by.

"I don't think possessing someone is a good use of magic, so yes," Hope replied.

"True," mumbled Penelope. She clapped her hands together. "I'll find whatever cleansing spell for you, and some ingredients. We'll stop by the cabin right?"

"Have to," Hope confirmed, "I don't feel safe bringing this creature back here." 

"Understandable," says Penelope, "How are we going? Will you take Dr. Saltzman's keys?" 

"Not risking it," Hope said as she eyed around the other students. "We'll just have to walk there." 

Penelope wrapped her arm around Hope's, the tribrid gave her a confused look. "Hey, if you're not gonna steal the keys, we should get the spells to make this faster." Penelope dragged Hope toward the library. As they pass the lobby, they fail to see a certain siphoner lowering a book from covering her face.

Josie bit the inside of her cheek, her mind fueling with curiosity.

* * *

About an hour or two later, Penelope and Hope collected a few cleansing spells they were sure would work and made their way over to the cabin. Luckily they snuck out just when all the adults were busy with something else and got to work as soon as they arrived at the cabin. The girls returned to the room and Penelope started to set up the first spell. 

Hope felt something physically crawl around under her skin, and as a response, she smacked her shoulder. Penelope glanced up at her with narrowed eyes, she quickly went inside her bag and pulled out some sage. "You just hold on to that, will you?" Penelope offered it toward the Tribrid, who took it without question. 

Hope mumbled a smell and the sage lit up. Once the sage starts producing smoke, the auburn haired girl fanned the sage around as she took a piece of paper with a few spells on it. After memorising it, she sat the paper down and uttered a spell while the sage's smoke flowed around her. 

At first, Hope wasn't sure if the spell was working, she certainly didn't feel any different. That was, until she felt herself falling unconscious. And the moment she opened her eyes, she was back in the darkness hell.

"No, no," Hope uttered, she closed her eyes tightly, somewhere in her head she thought that if she opened her eyes again, she'd be back. Newsflash, she was not.

Hope felt melancholy, she felt this despair that was quite indescribable. The darkness was haunting her with chants of numbers over and over. She wrapped her arms around herself to provide some kind of comfort. She dropped to her knees and shut her eyes again, not knowing what else to do. Then, she could hear Penelope.

"Nettoyer timoun sa yo." 

Hope opened one eye, making sure what she heard was the real deal when she spotted Penelope fanning the sage above her-chanting out a spell. Hope slowly sat up to realize she was lying on her back, once she propped herself up on her elbows, she smiled at Penelope. "Thanks."

Penelope pulled away the sage momentarily, "It worked?"

"I-" Hope hurls up the black slime suddenly. Penelope darted backwards as the Black slime stained the floor, it was now a puddle again. "Think so," Hope finished her sentence in a mumble. 

They share a look with one another, both feeling a little relieved that the situation is over. 

For now.

Meanwhile, Landon stands outside of his parents car. They talked for a few more minutes before Landon waved them goodbye and returned to the school. The visit to his adoptive parents' house was short and mostly to the point. All that came out of it was an envelope that felt quite thin in his hands. 

The first thing he did was visit Hope's room, but of course she wasn't there-and Landon's poor eyes witnessed Alyssa and another one of her flings being a little too intimate for an afternoon. Nonetheless, he sulks back toward his room and laid down on his bed. He didn't bother to greet his brother. And, Rafael noticed.

"Hey."

Landon turned his head to look at the werewolf across from him. "Hey."

"What is that?" Rafael inquired, his eyes on the envelope. 

Landon looked at the envelope before resting it on his stomach. "It's from my mom." 

Interested, Rafael sat up. "Your mom?"

Before Landon could confirm, their door opens with Josie walking in, a hand over her eyes. "Please have your clothes on."

"That was one time," Rafael mumbled.

Josie removed her hand and looked over at Landon. She spots the envelope, "I saw you coming in, Is that from your parents?" She asked as she walked over to Landon's bed, she sat down beside him. 

Rafael stood up, "Okay, what's happening here?"

"I was going to tell you." Landon sat up, "But I know how you get about our parents."

"There wasn't any ill intention," Josie added. "Landon just wants to know something about his birth mom." 

Rafael's eyes softened, he walked over to Landon's bed as well and sat on the other side beside him. "Well? You gonna open it?"

"I don't know," Landon replied, grabbing the envelope again. "I wanted to wait for Hope." 

"You'll be waiting forever then." There was a hint of venom in Josie's tone. When Landon looked at her, she cleared her throat. "I mean, I just saw her hanging around Penelope, and they seem to spend a lot of time together." 

Landon didn't hide the frown that formed on his lips. He looked away from Josie and stared down at the envelope in his hands. There was a pause of awkward silence, so Rafael took the envelope and ripped it opened himself.

"Hey!" Landon wanted to protest, but it was too late as Rafael dug his hand in the envelope.

"You can show Hope later," Rafael reasoned, he then pulled out a photograph. He gazed at it for a moment before handing it over to Landon, who takes it immediately. 

The picture was of a young woman who cradled a baby in her arms. Josie peered over Landon's shoulder to get a better look at the picture as well. The phoenix turned the photo around to the blank side, with three words written neatly in a corner.

_You and I._

Landon turned the picture around again, he parted his lips to say something, but his words seemed to have vanished. 

"There's something else," Rafael was the first to speak. He pulled out a piece of paper, he handed it over to Landon without reading it himself.

Landon sat the picture on his lap and held the paper, he began to read. 

"I don't know if you'll ever see this, or want to see this." Landon let out a breath, one he didn't realize he had been holding in. "I've been sitting here for days, trying to come up with something to say to you, something that'll answer all your questions. But I don't think you'd like what I have to say. You see, Landon, you weren't exactly planned. 

"I never wanted a kid but I thought if I held onto you long enough, I would eventually grow to love you in a way every mother should love their child. Yet, I couldn't. I've tried, I've tried for two years but when I look at you, I'm not quite sure it's love I feel. I know that isn't something you want to hear, but I couldn't bear to make your life miserable so I brought you to a friend of mine. They were trying for a kid but didn't have the luck, until I stopped by.

"I stayed with them for a few days. I watched how happy they were with you, and when I left, I knew they could love you in ways I couldn't. I don't want this letter to hurt you, I wanted to share my truths with you so that you won't hold yourself back with the burdens I have created. If this letter hadn't truly scared you away, if you so wish to speak to me, maybe you can stop by..."

Landon stopped reading, his mother had written an address to a cafe somewhere in Georgia. At the end of the letter, was her name. Seylah.

"Woah." Landon laid the letter on top of the picture. "That sucked."

"Big time," Rafael said. 

Josie waited for the boys to say something else, yet they allowed silence to surround them. "I guess I'll be asking about the elephant in the room. Are you going to do it?"

"Do what?" Landon asked.

"Visit her?"

Landon shook his head, he grabbed the envelope and stuffed the letter inside. "She obviously didn't want me in the first place, I doubt visiting her would make her love me any more than she already did, which apparently isn't at all." 

"Landon." Josie's voice was soft, she picked up the picture and observed it closely. "She seems really young here. Maybe she wasn't ready for a baby then."

"She just didn't want me."

"She can be the only answer, Landon." Josie placed her hands on top of Landon's arm, "There are so much more you could get out of her if you see her."

"Like your dad," Rafael suggests, "She didn't mention him at all. Maybe there's something more behind it." 

"Exactly." Josie smiled, "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to, but you should really think about this." Josie gave Landon the picture back. "And who knows, maybe she'll feel different once she sees you again."

Landon thought for a few seconds, "I'm nervous. What does one say in a situation like this? I don't think asking her why doesn't she love me is a good conversation starter."

"You could always just avoid that topic," Josie replied. "Maybe figure out if she even knows about the supernatural."

"I need to think about this."

"No rush," Rafael says, "But if you do decide to go, I'm coming with you."

"So am I," added Josie.

Landon smiled, "Thanks." He looked down at the picture again. After a few minutes, Josie rested her head on Landon's shoulder and Rafael returned to his own bed. Landon closed his eyes, envisioning what his encounter would be like with Seylah. 

* * *

Later that night, Hope was in her room, a sketchbook resting on her lap as she doodled. She had used two clean sheets already and felt like she was on a roll. It wasn't until she was finished with her latest piece to realize she was drawing a replica of the knife she almost stole. She flipped back to the first drawing she did that night to stare at an urn, one that was in great detail as if Hope was drawing it from memory, yet, she couldn't recall ever seeing it before.

The next page appeared to be a dagger, one she was positive she never saw before. What's more strange, when Hope looked closely at her drawing, there were numbers hidden within the object. They were the same numbers Hope remembered from earlier. 

She turned to a clean page and rewrote the numbers on the corner of the page and ripped it off. The minute she does this, Penelope walks into the room. 

“Hey.” 

Hope looked up at the witch, “Hey, what's up?”

“Are you okay?” Penelope inquired as she walked over to the Tribrid. “No weird demon creatures possessing you?” 

“No, not that I know of.” Once Penelope sat down, Hope turned her sketchbook around to show her. “But, I've been thinking about these things.” 

“Are they important?”

Hope shrugged, “Not sure. But I also drew the knife I was caught stealing.” She flipped the page to show the knife. 

“So, these things are connected?” Penelope took the sketchbook and flipped back over to the urn and dagger. “What would these things have in common?”

“Perhaps this.” Hope shows Penelope the list of numbers. “I kept hearing those numbers earlier when I was being cleansed. And now they're in my drawings.” 

“Do you have any clue what it could mean?” Penelope asked while reaching for the ripped paper. 

“No, but it could be a location.”

Penelope hummed, she stared at the numbers before looking down at the drawings. “Maybe our demon baby wants these things.”

“For what?” questioned Hope, “I'm not even sure what that knife can do, and I've never heard of the other two things.”

“Maybe this location can tell us.” Penelope folded the ripped paper. She flipped between the sketches a few times when the door opened again. This time, Landon walked in. 

“Am i interrupting?” Landon paused at the door.

“Um—”

“No,” answered Penelope. “I was just leaving anyway.” As Landon made his way over to the bed, Penelope quickly ripped the sketches out of Hope's book and folded them. She tossed the sketchbook over to Hope and stood up, “I'll see you later about the uh… Project.” And with that, she darts out of the room. Landon watched her go, his brows raised in suspension.

“What was that about?”

“Art project,” Hope says quickly. She cleared her throat, “So uh, did you find out anything from your parents?” 

Landon pulled out the letter from his pocket and handed it toward Hope. “She wrote it to me,” he uttered. Hope gazed at him for a moment, noticing the sadness to his tone, and how his eyes avoided hers. 

Hope turned to the letter and soon understood. She frowned after reading the letter and folded it again, “I'm sorry.” 

“I feel sorry for myself,” he chuckled dryly. “Rafe and Jo think I should visit her. But, I don't know what to say to her.”

“You could ask her if she regrets it,” Hope replied. “About giving you away. You could also ask what she knows about phoenixes. Or, you could tell her how you feel. Maybe give yourself some closure.” Landon nods along as Hope says this, truly absorbing her suggestions.

“Even if I did want to go, I'm sure my parents will take me but… Rafe wants to go. And they can hardly last a minute alone with one another let alone a few hour trip to Georgia.” 

“I could ask Dr. Saltzman to take us on the weekend.” Even though Hope didn't have many friends, she still had a pretty good word with the headmaster, and that's pretty much all she needed.

“Really?” Landon raised his eyebrows. “You think he'd want to take us?”

“If I tell him it's to see your birth mom, then yeah, he's super gullible.” For her, at least. “I'll ask him tomorrow if you want.” 

There was a pregnant pause as Landon thought over his decision. He sighed, “I might regret this, but… I want to see her.” 

Hope smiled, Landon showed her the picture of himself and his mom. Together, they came up with a few questions that could answer Landon's mysterious history. After about an hour or so, Hope received a text from Penelope. The witch worked fast and found out what the numbers meant. They were a location somewhere in… Georgia.

Coincidence…? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peak for chapter Three;
> 
> There was a pregnant pause between the trio. The silence was nearly deadly, Hope was preparing herself for some kind of confrontation, maybe something dealing with fire. Yet, nothing came of it.
> 
> Lizzie's downcasted eyes glance up at Penelope, Hope might not have been close enough but she could tell the hurt in the younger girl's eyes. 
> 
> Lizzie looked over at Hope, perhaps looking for some kind of defence. But Hope avoided her gaze and stared down at the parking lot's pavement. Like a coward she had always been in situations like this, she kept quiet. 
> 
> And Lizzie soundlessly walked away.


	3. The Trip

That weekend was a little more chaotic than intended. Hope followed through and asked Dr. Saltzman to drive them to Georgia to allow Landon to see his mother, and of course he agreed to do so, without much question either. Hope liked to think it's because she was one of his favorites, or maybe it was because she doesn't ask him for much often. Regardless, Hope was thankful her headmaster had a heart, and a large vehicle.

“Okay, you're insane. Hulk is like the strongest character in the universe!” Rafael debates from the back side, beside him MG scoffed.

“You aren't being logical with this when there are others like Galactus, Thor… And Thanos!” MG argued, he ferociously typed something on his phone in the speed only a vampire could have.

“Actually you're both lame, the Phoenix, is where it's at.” Penelope turned around in her seat to face the boys. At her statement, the boys just get into an even more heated argument which causes Hope to rub her temples. Penelope, who sat beside Hope—smiled devilishly at the uproar she had just created. 

“Can you nerds shut up for one minute?” Lizzie groaned from the other side of Hope. She shifted a bit in her seat, trying to find any sort of comfort but it wasn't easy as her arms were squished between the car door and Hope's arm. Her shifting caused Hope to push into Penelope, who pushed her back to retaliate against Lizzie.

“Stop moving, the Queen Of Mean!” Penelope nudged Hope, “It's already cramped in here.”

“It's not my fault!” Lizzie nudged Hope harder, “You're the one packing a million things and now we're buried under your stuff!” Lizzie leaned down toward her feet where a bag was resting. She reached for a it, she tossed it at Penelope who caught it with her face.

“Okay, that's it!” Penelope crawled over Hope to attack Lizzie. The blonde does the same and they end up beating up on Hope as she was stuck in the middle of the battlefield. 

“Girls, girls!” Dr. Saltzman yells. He looks through the rearview mirror, “Please return to your seats and behave like your age.”

“She started it!” Lizzie exclaimed, pointing toward the other witch. 

“Elizabeth.” Her father's voice stern. The blonde sat back and crossed her arms, she watched the window. Penelope does the same and Hope was silently thanking the heavens. She made a mental note to never sit between Lizzie and Penelope again. 

“How close are we?” Josie asked softly from beside Rafael and MG, who were behind Hope. 

“Not close enough,” groaned Penelope. “Why is this car so small?”

“I don't remember inviting you,” Landon says from the passenger seat, he meant to say that in his head though.

“Um, I don't remember anyone inviting MG! Or the twins for that matter,” Penelope commented. 

“Dr. Saltzman invited me,” MG replied.

“Um, Landon can vouch for me and Jo,” Rafael says.

“And what about you?” Penelope turned over to look at Lizzie. “What, you got too bored with your imaginary friend?” The witch snickered.

Hope nudged her, “Dude—” 

“Penelope,” Dr. Saltzman called out, “I will turn this car around and drop you off at the school if you keep that kind of talk.” Penelope slouched in the seat, she looked out the window again. Dr. Saltzman cleared his throat, “we're halfway there. We'll be taking a break soon to get some food and stretch our legs and whatever is needed.” 

Josie nods before plugging her headphones back in her ears. Hope glanced over at Lizzie who only kept her gaze on the window. The car was silent besides the low tune that played on the radio. 

Hope wasn't sure if she was the only one feeling uncomfortable about the comment Penelope made about Lizzie's “friend”, well, she could tell it affected Lizzie, as her fingers dug pretty harshly into her own arm.

It was no secret that Lizzie was… Different. When you grow up at the Salvatore school, you learn the school practically thrives on gossip. Most gossip would revolve around students breaking certain rules, or apparently their sanity. 

It started three years ago. There were always rumors about Lizzie being thrown around the school but it became somewhat evident during one spring break. Dr. Saltzman was going to take a few students who stayed during break on a trip, but a fire incident put a halt to it. 

The fire happened in Hope and Alyssa's room. Unfortunately for the both of them, they lost valuable items. Rumor had it, Lizzie was the culprit. Hope didn't necessarily want to believe this, because she and Lizzie didn't have issues with one another back then, but Alyssa spread that rumor like hell fire and everyone else believed it. It also didn't help that Lizzie was an angry ball of fire in general, so it was a little easier to believe.

After the fire, the trip got cancelled and oh boy, Lizzie's and Hope's relationship turned sour. 

So, instead of asking Lizzie if she was okay, Hope kept quiet. She leaned her head on top of Penelope's shoulder and for the rest of the ride, she took a nap. Unfortunately, Hope couldn't sleep for long when the car stopped and Dr. Saltzman tells the kids it was break time. 

As everyone left the car, Hope wiped tiredly at her eyes. Penelope opened her side door, she left the car for a minute to realize Hope wasn't leaving. The Tribrid just laid in her spot, very sluggish. 

Penelope tilted her head with a raised eyebrow, “Aren't you going to get anything?” Hope mumbled something incoherently. She closed her eyes again while also not hearing Penelope anymore. Assuming the witch walked away, Hope rolled over onto her back.

“Hey, now is not a time for sleeping.” Penelope ran her fingers through Hope's hair. “Plus, we need to talk about our demon baby.”

“Please stop calling it that.” Hope groaned, “Shouldn't you be getting more stuff to stuff in your bags.”

“First of all, Baby demon fits perfectly.” Hope opened her eyes to see Penelope looking down at her. Penelope smiled, “Secondly, Rafe is getting me something. And don't worry, I told him to get you something too.” Penelope ruffled Hope's hair. “Now, back to the subject. How are we going to the location?”

Hope shrugged, she turned over to her side. “I don't know. It depends where the motel will be.”

“You have to give me more than that.”

“Fine,” Hope sighed, she propped up on her elbow. “We'll most likely arrive at the motel late. Everyone will be tired and Dr. Saltzman will be roomed with the boys. So, we just sneak out.”

“What if we're tired too?” 

Hope thought for a moment, “We don't know how long we'll be there. We only have one car and we'll need it to find Landon's mom, so we have to go at night when hopefully everyone is asleep. Tired or not.” 

“Go where when everyone's sleeping?” The other backdoor opens with Lizzie pushing Hope's legs out of her seat. 

“Nothing.” Penelope glared at Lizzie, “Why are you back so soon? Did your little friend not want anything from the store?” sending the tension build, Hope sat up again as Penelope snickered. “Tell me one thing, is your friend just as bipolar as you?”

“Can you please stop?” Hope basically begged. She did not want to be found in a burning car. From beside her, Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“I don't need you to defend me.” Lizzie glared at Hope. 

The shorter girl furrowed her brows, not believing that Lizzie was becoming mad at her instead of Penelope. “Are you seriously mad at me right now?” 

“Yes, I am,” Lizzie replied. “ I don't need your guilt trying to be my knight in shining armor.” Lizzie sat beside Hope and shut the door. She puts on her headphones before Hope could even create a remark. Truth was, Hope had no idea what guilt Lizzie was referring to, and when she turned to Penelope, the witch only shrugs.

It didn't take long for everywhere to come back. Dr. Saltzman refills the gas as everyone settles down. The mood shifts among the group though, MG takes charge of the radio and no one complains as it was better than silence. Hope kept her eye on Lizzie though, her statement still lingering in Hope's mind.

* * *

“Okay, I want to trust you girls that I won't have to repeat myself.” Dr. Saltzman stood in the small motel room, joined with the twins, Hope and Penelope. After their break, they stopped to get fast food before finally reaching the motel where everyone was more than happy to finally lay down.

“We'll behave, dad.” Josie put on her best good girl smile and that was enough for Dr. Saltzman to leave. He offered them any food service but the girls declined, the twins were mostly exhausted, MG and Rafael going on their long debates about superheros wasn't a tune many could fall asleep too. What didn't help was Josie trying to join the conversation, which she takes off her headphones to then puke all over the place. 

Penelope and Hope on the other hand had their game faces on. Hope wasn't able to get much sleep after the gas station break but luckily, Dr. Saltzman bought her a coffee which she tried her best to spare until she needed it. And that time was now, as she stood in the bathroom with Penelope, she sipped her coffee.

“You have to at least pretend you're about to go to bed,” Penelope stated as she brushed her teeth, she had already changed into her pyjamas with a towel around her neck. “You know Daddy's Little girls will probably tell if something looks suspicious.”

“I need to finish this, or I might actually fall asleep when we lay down,” muttered Hope as she gulped down the rest of her coffee. 

“We wouldn't have to wait for long,” Penelope says before leaning into the sink to spit. She stood up straight again, looking at Hope through the mirror. “Jo sleeps like a rock so the minute she's out, we'll be good.” Penelope picked up her rag that was resting on the sink, she started to wash it. “Lizzie listens to music so she won't hear us, but it's best if we wait for a little, just in case she needs to do some goodnight ritual with her little friend.”

“You surely know a lot about this.” What Hope wanted to ask Penelope to stop commenting about Lizzie's… Differences. It felt wrong, and Hope still can't for the life of her understand what guilt she was supposed to feel. 

“I dated Jo, don't tell me you forgot.” Penelope chuckled, “My roommate is a total weirdo, we were often just hung out in her room. Among other things.” Penelope dried her face and hands with the towel. “So trust me, I know these things.”

“If you say so,” Hope uttered. She followed Penelope out of the bathroom and got dressed in her pyjamas. She returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth alongside Lizzie who takes up most of the mirror and ignores Hope completely.

She and Penelope shared a bed as the twins shared the other, and once all the girls were done getting ready, they settled down.

It wasn't easy to tell whether or not the twins were asleep. The motel was dark as ever and the twins were quiet as mice. Penelope pulled out her phone and in efforts to keep Hope awake, they played a few games together.

It wasn't until Penelope's phone died when they decided it was probably a good time to go. The witch got up first, she snuck over to the door where their shoes were and put them on. Hesitantly, she tried to open the door as quietly as she could and she glanced at Hope before sneaking out of the room.

Hope waited a few minutes, she looked over at the twins bed to check for any movement. When she was sure that the twins were asleep, Hope snuck out of the room and Penelope was leaning against the banister.

“Hey,” Hope walked over to her. “What are we waiting for?”

“I can't get the boys' door open. And the keys are in there.” 

“Don't worry.” Hope grabbed Penelope's wrist, “I've been starting cars without keys since I was a baby. I got this.” Hope led Penelope to the parking lot where Dr. Saltzman's car was and Hope mumbled a spell that unlocked the doors. Hope sat in the driver's seat and Penelope sat in the passenger's. 

“So you're telling me you could do that this entire time but still used the keys?”

“I was just being a little responsible.” Hope shrugged. “Do you have the location?” Penelope nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from her shirt and handed it toward Hope. The driver raised an eyebrow, “Triad Industries, huh?”

“That's where the numbers lead,” Penelope replied. 

Hope started the car and put the name in the gps. She checks the driver's side mirror before backing up, then the car stops. 

“So much for that trick.”

“I don't know what happened.” Hope starts the car again, she tries to back up when the car shuts off. “What the hell?”

“Should we try to get the keys?” Penelope asked, feeling somewhat amusing. 

“No, I've done this before.” Hope starts the car again, she backs up, it shuts off. Penelope hid her smile and glanced away to try and refrain from laughing. She lost her smile completely when she looked up at the rearview mirror, where a certain blonde stood there with her arms crossed.

“I found the problem.” Penelope got out of the car. Hope checked the mirror before doing the same. 

“Where do you two think you're going?” 

“We're going to hang out together,” Penelope answered before Hope could come up with a lie. She looked over at Hope with a smile, “We were thinking of skipping town, maybe even getting eloped.” She glared toward Lizzie, “Why are you up?”

“Because you two suck at sneaking out.” Lizzie narrowed her eyes at the two. “Where are you really going?”

“We're just going to check something out,” Hope answered, “It's about the thing I asked you about a few days ago.”

Penelope groaned, she certainly didn't want Lizzie Saltzman out of all people to know about their little experiments. Lizzie seemed a little shocked to learn this though, and she uncrossed her arms and stepped closer to the pair.

“I'm coming with you,” Lizzie stared matter of factly. 

“Like hell you are.” Penelope stood in front of Lizzie, “We are not going to babysit a bipolar loose cannon all night.” 

There was a pregnant pause between the trio. The silence was nearly deadly, Hope was preparing herself for some kind of confrontation, maybe something dealing with fire. Yet, nothing came of it.

Lizzie's downcasted eyes glance up at Penelope, Hope might not have been close enough but she could tell the hurt in the younger girl's eyes. 

Lizzie looked over at Hope, searching for some kind of defence. But Hope avoided her gaze and stared down at the parking lot's pavement. Like a coward she had always been in situations like this, she kept quiet. 

And Lizzie soundlessly walked away.

Hope watched her return to their motel room. She turned to Penelope, the witch was already looking back at her. 

“Was that necessary?” 

Penelope shrugged, a half smile tugging on her lips. “It got her to go away, didn't it?” And with that, Penelope walked back into the car but this time she got in the driver's seat. Hope sighed, and took the passenger seat. 

_And as if that night couldn't get any worse, Penelope and I stumbled across something I couldn't quite understand, nor remember. The only thing I remembered was waking up in a field, Penelope next to me. Once we realized it was the next day, we high-tailed it back to the motel._

_Unfortunately for us, Dr. Saltzman was waiting._

_And he wasn't happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peak for chapter Four; 
> 
> Her voice was faint, Hope almost assumed she imagined it. The auburn hair girl slowly turned over on her bed, she faced Lizzie. The blonde was facing her, but her eyes were glued to the bed. 
> 
> “Your what?” 
> 
> “My… Episode,” Lizzie mumbled. “The one I had when our trip got cancelled.” There was a pause, Lizzie let out a breath. “You told everyone that I was witch bipolar.”
> 
> “What? I would never do that.” Hope sat back up, before she could say any more, the bathroom door burst open. 
> 
> “Guys!” Penelope slammed the bathroom door again, she put her back against the wall.
> 
> “Just drop the act!” Lizzie hissed. “Stop pretending it didn't happen!”
> 
> “I didn't—”
> 
> “Guys!” Penelope yelled.
> 
> “What!” Lizzie and Hope say in unison. 
> 
> “There's a monster in the bathroom!” 


	4. Thank You, Snitch

“What were you thinking?” Dr. Saltzman asked, he ran his fingers through his hair, collecting his thoughts. Penelope and Hope were sitting on the bed, both avoiding the headmaster's eyes, today definitely started off terrible. “I thought I could trust that the both of you would at least follow my very basic rules. Stay. In. The. Room.” 

“Sorry—”

“Are you?” Dr. Saltzman questioned, he stared at Hope. “What made you decide that sneaking out was a good idea?” Before Hope could answer, Dr. Saltzman continued. “We are miles away from home, what if something happened to you? I brought the both of you on this trip because I trusted that neither of you would do something like this.” 

There was a silence that followed, Hope wasn't sure if Dr. Saltzman was waiting for the girls to reply, yet neither didn't. 

Dr. Saltzman sighed, he wiped his hand over his face. “Once we get back home, the both of you have detention.”

“For how long?” Penelope mumbled.

“As long as I say,” The headmaster responded. He turned to the other bed where the twins were silently sitting there. “You all get ready, we're going to the cafe in a few minutes.” He turned back to Hope and Penelope. “You two will not be leaving my sight.” And with that, Dr. Saltzman left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Penelope stood up and glared at Lizzie. “Thank you, Snitch.” 

“Don't pretend you didn't deserve it,” Lizzie spat out. She kneeled near her suitcase to pick out some clothes.

Hope scoffed, “Why did I deserve that?”

Lizzie glared at Hope, “This pretending game has to be exhausting for you, you should stop.”

“I'm not pretending!” 

Lizzie only rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom. Josie got up as well and eyed Hope and Penelope, her eyes catching her Ex's. 

“Serves you right. Maybe now you two will learn not to sneak out again.” Josie joined her sister in the bathroom and Penelope sat back on the bed, she plopped on her back while groaning loudly. 

Hope laid down on her side to face Penelope. The witch tilts her head to meet Hope's eyes. “Please tell me you know what the hell happened last night.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Penelope shrugged, she looked up at the ceiling. “What would be the odds of visiting that place was another bad idea?”

“I would say the odds wouldn't be in our favour.” Hope rolled over on her back. 

“If this does turn out to be trouble, we gotta tell Dr. Saltzman.” Penelope sighed, she crossed her arms while her eyes never left the ceiling. 

“Yeah, agreed,” Hope says. 

Soon, the twins leave the bathroom dressed for the day. They left the motel room while Hope and Penelope got dressed. After everyone was ready, they all piled up in the car and made their way to the cafe. Thankfully the journey there wasn't as awkward as Hope thought it would be. Granted, the girls stayed quiet but the boys debates kept everyone entertained for a bit.

A few minutes later, Dr. Saltzman parked outside a cafe. The kids pour out of the car and eagerly go inside. All except Landon. 

Josie glanced over her shoulder once she made it to the front door, she quickly looked away once seeing that Hope was staying behind with Landon. 

“You okay?” Hope asked Landon, she ran his back reassuringly.

“Nervous would be an understatement.” Landon looked down at one of his hands and wiped the nervous sees on his pants. In his other hand had been the picture of himself and his mother, he folded it up though, and tucked it into one of his pockets.

“Hey.” Hope stood in front of the Phoenix and put her hands on his shoulders. “Just take a deep breath, you got this okay?” She gave him a half smile. “Plus, what's the worst that could happen?” 

“A lot, actually.” Regardless of that statement, Landon takes a deep breath and let's it out. He smiles, “But it's always better now than later, right?” Hope nodded and entangled her arm with Landon's. Together they walk into the cafe with Dr. Saltzman following behind. As the headmaster sat at the booth with the other students, Landon and Hope sat up at the bar, a few waitresses passed them by.

“How are you two?” A lovely young woman smiled. She handed the both of them menus. 

Hope smiled at the bartender, “We're great, actually.” Which was probably far from the truth, but Hope proceeds on. “Can i get a coffee, Latte for me and...” Hope glanced at Landon, who was more focused on his jittery hands. “Some kind of tea for the boy here.” Hope rubbed Landon's back. 

“I'll be right back.” The waitress left the two alone. Hope held Landon's hand, “Hey, you seriously need to take a breath.” 

Landon exhaled, “I don't know why I'm so nervous.” He took a long breath in before exhaling again. “She's just a stranger, and…” Landon shook his head, “I'm here to ask about my father. That's the only thing that matters.”

“Landon..”

“I just want this thing to be over…” Landon turned to Hope, but looked at something behind her. Hope turned her head to see a woman walking up toward another waitress. They talked for a few seconds before the woman rushed to the kitchen. 

“Looks like it's now more than ever.” Landon straightened his back. It only took a few minutes before Seylah came back into the room with both of their drinks.

“Hello,” Seylah greets them. “I'll be your waitress today. And if you two are uncover health inspectors, I promise I'm not always this late to my own building.” She chuckled. Hope tossed a glance over at Landon, he stared at Seylah in shock. 

“Do you two need more time with your order?” Seylah placed their drinks down. 

“Um.” Hope was wondering if Landon would just go out and say it, but he didn't. The silence between the three were filling up the room with awkwardness. Hope scratched the back of her neck, “Actually, we need more time, thank you.”

“Be back in a bit.” Seylah leaves the pair and 

“So that was awkward,” Hope says as she rested her chin on her hand. She used her free hand to tip her coffee.

“I just freaked out, that's all.” Landon reached in his pocket for the picture, he pulled it out. “But the next time she comes back, I'm just gonna show her this picture. Then boom, I'll ask her about my dad and we'll see from there.” Fortunately for them, Seylah returns a few minutes later, and Landon silently holds the picture up to her.

Seylah was quiet. She stared at the picture for a few moments before taking it in her own hands. She glanced away from the photo at Landon, then her eyes turned back to the photo.

“I remember taking this,” Seylah starts, her voice just above a whisper. She sat the picture back down, “I see you decided to see me.”

“I have questions,” Landon replied. “And as heartwarming as your letter was, it didn't answer some things that I have on my mind.”

“Understandable. But, now is not exactly a good time to talk.” Seylah eyes the door as more customers flood in. “I don't want to dismiss you, but I can offer a later time for us to talk.”

“How much later?”

“I'm closing tonight, you can come back after seven.” 

“Okay, I'll be there.” 

“I look forward to it.” Seylah half smiled.“But, are you two actually going to order something?” 

“Just give us your best breakfast sandwiches,” Hope says. 

“Coming right up…”

“Hope.” 

“Hope,” Seylah repeated, “I'll see you two soon.” After Seylah disappeared into the kitchen again, Dr. Saltzman sat beside Landon. 

“So… How'd it go?” 

“She wants to talk later,” Landon replied, “After seven, the cafe will be closed.”

“We can arrange that,” Dr. Saltzman says. 

“Can I go alone?” Landon asked, he squeezed Hope's hand. “With Hope and Raf, I mean. I–I just don't want everyone to… Watch… I guess.”

“You may go with Rafael, But Hope needs to stay behind.” 

“Dr. Saltzman!” 

“I'm not hearing any of it,” Dr. Saltzman said, “I know I told you that once we get back, you're getting detention. But your punishment will start now, I can't trust that you will stay where I ask you, so you'll be by my side at all times during this trip.”

“What? Even when I go to the bathroom?” Hope remarked.

Before Dr. Saltzman could respond, Landon looked at her. “What's happening? What did you do?” 

“Landon, I was just going ou–”

“She and another student decided to sneak out all night,” Dr. Saltzman interrupted. “So, as punishment, they will be glued to me.” Hope looked away from them, avoiding Landon's gaze. Dr. Saltzman interlocked his fingers, “Now, I want to give you privacy with your mother and it's not that I don't trust you, it's just, I would feel better if Josie went with you.”

“Seriously?” Hope groaned.

“That's… Fine, I guess.” Landon frowned, “As long as Rafael is allowed too.”

“Yes, he is.” A waitress passed them by and walked over to Dr. Saltzman's table. The headmaster stood up, “I'll let you two enjoy breakfast before we go back.” The headmaster goes over to his table and Hope pouts.

“Was this student Penelope?” Landon questioned.

“Does it matter?” Hope mumbled.

“It kinda does since it got you in trouble.” Landon sighed, “Now I can't have you by my side for something like this.”

“I will always be on your side, Landon.”

Landon looked down at the photo. “What do you two even do together?”

“Uh, it's not important.”

“Clearly it was considering you decided to sneak out all night.” Landon's brows knit together, he shakes his head slightly. He looked over at Hope. “What's going on?”

“Nothing, seriously.” Hope shrugged, she sighed as Landon stared at her. “Look, Pen just wanted to get out of the room and away from Josie for a little while. I didn't want her out by herself in case something happened so I just went with her. We only drive for awhile anyway–”

“All night?”

Hope nodded, “We… Lost track of time.” Technically, that wasn't a lie. But Hope wasn't sure Landon was convinced or not, he surely didn't press the issue further and together they sat quietly. 

Seylah comes back and gives the pair their breakfast before dealing with other customers. The two finished their breakfast and Hope was almost done with her coffee. She was about to take another sip when her head started to spin.

She let out a small groan before resting her head on the counter. 

“Is something wrong?” Landon asked.

“I—” Hope sat up, “I have a headach—” 

_Puke_.

Landon nearly flew back in his seat in disgust. The black slime clung from his shirt, some of it dripped to the ground. 

Hope glanced over desperately at Penelope. Everyone at Penelope's table was staring right back, Dr. Saltzman stood up suddenly. Hope then stumbled out of her seat and dashed through the door. She could feel the creature crawling around her skin, she felt something threatening to come back up. 

Hope covered her mouth as she went back to the car.

“What the hell is happening?” Penelope ran up to Hope. 

“I don't know!” Hope gagged, she leaned against the car. “I was just sitting there and boom! Threw up.” 

“That stuff you threw up was black,” Penelope commented, “It has to be that thing again! We need to tell Dr. Saltzman.” 

“Wait!” Hope grabbed her arm, “We are already in trouble, we'll just get into more trouble if we tell him that we've been snooping around stuff we shouldn't have.” Hope's eyes turned black, she let go of the Witch's arm and groaned. 

“Hope!” Dr. Saltzman called, he and the other students began to walk out of the cafe.

“Hope, we need to tell him—”

“No, I can handle it.” Hope urged.

Penelope's brows furrowed and her mouth was forming an objection. But as she glanced toward the group getting closer, she sighed. “Fine, but when this gets even more out of hand, you're the one who has to tell him,” Penelope whispered, Hope nodded.

“Hope.” Dr. Saltzman. Approached the girls. Penelope stepped back from the headmaster and leaned against the car, looking away from him. “Please tell me what just happened in there wasn't what I think it is.” Hope let her head fall and didn't answer him, Dr. Saltzman wiped his face. Hope glanced at Penelope, and the headmaster noticed. “Were you two using dark magic?” 

Neither girl said a thing.

“Everyone get into the car.” The kids do as they were told and climb into the car. Before Hope could, Dr. Saltzman grabbed her arm. “When we get back to the school, we're taking care of that dark magic.” The headmaster got into the driver's seat and Hope climbed into the car.

The drive back to the motel was voiceless as the radio played a low tune to block out the blatant awkwardness.

* * *

Later that night, Hope was laying in the motel's bed with her arm resting on over her eyes. Unfortunately for her and Penelope, they were tied down in the motel while everyone else was able to go out and have fun… Doing whatever fun was. 

The door opened, “Okay, I should be back in a few minutes.” Josie quickly grabbed her jacket before ducking out of the room. Hope removed her arm and stared at the door for a moment. She wished she could be going out there, she wished she could be there for Landon.

Hope turned over to her side, she spotted Lizzie over at her bed, changing her clothes. 

Maybe it was bad, but Hope let her eyes wander. The siphoner had her back turned toward Hope as she pulled off her shirt. Lizzie turned to the bed to pick up her pyjama shirt when she glanced at Hope. The Tribrid quickly looked away, praying that Lizzie didn't just catch her staring.

“Pervert.”

_Damn it._

“I wasn't looking.”

“Then why'd you respond.” Lizzie threw on her shirt. “I don't think your boyfriend would be too happy to hear your for the other team.”

“I'm not!” Hope groaned. “And I wasn't even looking at you okay.”

“I guess lying comes off so easy for you.” Hope heard Lizzie mutter. The Tribrid looked at her, wondering if she meant for Hope to hear that. She thought it was better to ignore it than cause another argument.

Hope propped herself on her elbow. “So, how's the therapy group?” Lizzie squinted her eyes at Hope, silently studying her as if she was starting to figure out if Hope was genuine. Regardless of what she thought, Lizzie crossed her arms and leaned against the headboard. 

“Oh you know, the usual bipolar witches going off like loose cannons.”

“Look, I'm sorry for what Pen said. It wasn't right.”

“Like you would've said anything different,” Lizzie replied. She was looking down at her lap, she bit the inside of her cheek. 

“What are you talking about?” Hope asked, “I never said anything like that.” 

“Bullshit,” Lizzie scoffed. She glanced at Hope, “Why can't you just be honest with yourself? Own up to the things you said about me!”

“I never said anything about you!” Hope sat up, “You were the one to start this whole weird fight between us. Seriously, I was never mean to you.”

“Yes you were!” Lizzie raised her voice. “It started with you!” The blonde glared at her. Hope furrowed her brows, she had no idea What Lizzie was referring to, frankly, she never did. So instead of arguing for the entire night, Hope laid back down, she turned to her side, her back facing Lizzie.

“You told people about my Episode.” 

Her voice was faint, Hope almost assumed she imagined it. The auburn hair girl slowly turned over on her bed, she faced Lizzie. The blonde was facing her, but her eyes were glued to the bed. 

“Your what?” 

“My… Episode,” Lizzie mumbled. “The one I had when our trip got cancelled.” There was a pause, Lizzie let out a breath. “You told everyone that I was witch bipolar.”

“What? I would never do that.” Hope sat back up, before she could say any more, the bathroom door burst open. 

“Guys!” Penelope slammed the bathroom door again, she put her back against the wall.

“Just drop the act!” Lizzie hissed. “Stop pretending it didn't happen!”

“I didn't—”

“Guys!” Penelope yelled.

“What!” Lizzie and Hope say in unison. 

“There's a monster in the bathroom!” 

The door suddenly caves in, a slimy green hand poking out of it. Penelope fell to the ground. The girls scream as Hope yelled out a random spell that threw the monster back into the bathroom. By the time she jumped out of bed, Penelope was already out the door and Lizzie was next to Hope's bed. 

They share a look, questioning what their next move should be when the monster reappears. 

“Go!” Hope pushed Lizzie forward and the two ran out of the room and shut the door. Lizzie and Hope joined Penelope, she was busy slamming her fists against the door. Once the door opened, the girls ran over poor little MG. 

“Where's Dr. Saltzman!” The girls say.

“Uh, he's waiting outside,” MG whimpered. “He's waiting for Landon to come back. What's going on?”

“There's a monster in our bathroom!” Hope opened the door again.

“What the hell are you doing!” Penelope asked, clinging into MG.

“We have to find Dr. Saltzman.” The girl's door burst open with the same green hand. Hope whimpered before darting past the door and bolting down the stairs. “Dr. Saltzman!” Hope called out a few times until Dr. Saltzman appeared from around a corner.

“Hey,” Dr. Saltzman cleared his throat, he hid something behind his back, which was obviously a bottle of bourbon. “What's wrong?”

“There's… A monster in the room!”

“What—”

The beast lets out a ferocious roar into the sky. 

“Do I wanna know what that is?” Dr. Saltzman suddenly grabbed Hope as the monster jumped from the railing. 

Hope had never seen a creature so terrifying before, and she was positive it was after her. The creature stalked closer to her, growling low. Dr. Saltzman backed away, he looked up at the railing where the other kids were watching from above.

“Burn it or something!” Dr. Saltzman suggested. Hope casted a fire spell and the creature lit up in flames. 

The creature wasn't the only one in pain.

“What's happening?” MG asked as Hope fell to the ground. The flames disappeared and the monster turned on Dr. Saltzman, it's body looked to be melting but it kept its focus on the monster, picking up speed as it ran closer to him.

The kids ran down the stairs and Lizzie gripped Penelope's wrist. “Corpois Impetus!” 

The monster freezes. 

Penelope pulled her arm back and ran back up to the room. MG and Lizzie walk over to her father. “Please tell me one of you somehow created that thing and that we can defeat it?” 

“No, it was just in our bathroom.” Lizzie pointed upstairs, “If anyone summoned that thing it would have to be Penelope. It was in the bathroom with her.”

“Okay.” Her father rubbed his temples. He looked back at the monster, “Okay. MG, make sure any person who sees this thing forget about it. Lizzie, please get Penelope down here.” MG leaves the two to check around for any citizens.

“What are you going to do?” Lizzie asked him.

“Make sure she's okay.” Dr. Saltzman split off from Lizzie and walked over to Hope who was now sitting on the ground. He kneeled down beside her, “Do you want to tell me what that thing is?” 

Hope shrugged, “I don't know, I've never seen it before.”

“Are you sure you weren't summoning anything with your dark magic?” He asked. Hope shook her head.

“I wasn't… But if I was, I wouldn't summon whatever that is!” Hope pointed toward the frozen beast. “We need to get that thing hidden.”

“Leave it to me!” Penelope stumbles down the stairs with a bag with Lizzie next to her. Dr. Saltzman helped Hope stand up as Penelope was setting up a boundary spell around the monster. Lizzie helps her set up a few items until the monster breaks free from it's frozen prison and swings it's arm over at Penelope, knocking her down. The monster turns to Lizzie and does the same.

Out of nowhere, MG vamps into the scene, stabbing the monster from behind. This action does little to nothing as the monster turns around, both its web—like hands wrap around MG's neck. 

Lizzie closed her fist and muttered a spell. One of the monster's legs snapped harshly. Black slime squirts out as if it was blood. The beast tossed MG to the side as it fell down. It growls while locking it's eyes on Lizzie. Although the monster was one leg short, it was determined and crawled it's way toward Lizzie.

Lizzie tries to cast another spell but she's used the last bit of her magic from Penelope. The monster grabbed her ankle but the siphoner kicked as hard as she could to fight it off. The beast lifts its head up high, getting ready to produce the nastiest bite possible. 

“Le specto tre colo ves bestia!” Hope chanted as she ambled toward the monster, her fists tightly closed. It stood still as she came closer, Hope's eyes flooded black as a language she's never spoken before comes out effortlessly. Hope then screams.

She screamed the loudest she could, her powers pooling out of her as the monster was being lifted in the sky, it's body moved rapidly, wanting to be let free. 

And in front of everyone's eyes, the monster was dropped back to the ground, it's leg no longer broken. 

The monster dashes away from the group, not looking back once as it disappears into the trees. 

Hope fell down again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peak for chapter five;
> 
> Hope wasn't sure if Lizzie could see the sincerity in her eyes and the Blonde parted her lips to speak, but the car door opened again. Both girls looked away from one another as Dr. Saltzman handed them a few bags. He strapped his belt on and started to drive.
> 
> After Dr. Saltzman turned up the radio, Hope assumed her conversation with Lizzie was over. That was until she heard the blonde utter three words. 
> 
> “What did you say?” Hope whispered back. She met Lizzie's longing gaze. The blonde repeats;
> 
> “I believe you.”


	5. I Believe You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Landon finds out a little information about his father. Lizzie and Hope put an end to their earlier argument.

The sky was darkening as Josie drove back to the cafe. Landon was a little skeptical with the idea of Josie driving but thankfully she wasn't wreckless unlike Rafael. Speaking of, Rafael sat in the backseat, Landon was sitting in the passenger's seat holding onto his seatbelt. He was beyond nervous even after speaking to his mother hours earlier.

MG and Rafael tried to help him feel better, after they came back to the motel, the boys hung out near the forest next to the motel. There weren't many resources there so they just talked and threw around a few rocks. Afterwards, they returned to their room to play a few games until this moment.

Landon wasn't too happy about Hope missing this opportunity. He had no idea what was going on with her, especially this new found friendship with Penelope. 

But he could think about that another time, right now, he needed to think about his questions.

“Are you ready?” Josie asked. Her voice tore Landon from his daydream—like state. He blinked a few times to regain his focus. “Landon?”

Landon glanced at the siphoner beside him before nodding. “Y-Yeah!” Landon looked over at the cafe they arrived to and he sucked in a breath. He undid his seatbelt but remained seated. “I… Think.” 

“Tell us your thoughts before you go in.” Rafael scooted up toward them, he rests his elbow on the back of the passenger's seat. 

“I wish Hope was here.”

“She would be if she stopped using black magic with Penelope,” Josie replied nonchalantly, she shrugged her shoulders as well.

“Do you have any clue why she would be using black magic?” Rafael asked Landon, but his brother shook his head.

“All I know is that she goes out every night. I'm just worried something is going to happen.” Landon looked over at his window.

“My dad will be cleansing her once we get back to the school,” Josie informed. “She won't have any more black magic and everything will hopefully be okay. So, can we worry about what's in front of us?” Josie nodded her head toward the cafe.

“Hope can wait,” Rafael adds, “This can't.” He points to the cafe. Landon nodded to himself as his friends got out of the car. The Phoenix followed them shortly after and together, the trio walked inside the cafe to see Seylah sitting at the bar. At the sound of the door opening, she looks at their direction, a soft smile forming. 

“Are you three interested in a drink?” The kids nod in response. Seylah gets up from her seat to fix some drinks. As she made their drinks, she chuckled a little.“For a second, I wasn't sure you'd come out of that car.” 

“Sorry,” Landon apologized as he took a seat, Josie and Rafael sat on either side of him. 

“Is everything okay?” Seylah wondered, “I'm guessing Hope is somewhere resting?” 

Landon nodded, but before he could answer, Josie did instead. “Sorry about that by the way, those were just the effects of dark magic, happens to the best of us.” Josie waved her hand dismissively. Landon nudged her, “What?” The siphoner whispered, “I'm just making sure...” 

“Dark magic?” Seylah repeats, “You kids are allowed to use that?”

“You know about magic?” Landon asked.

“Yes,” Seylah nods, “I've dealt with some…” Seylah paused, “—Supernaturals before but I've never come across many witches.” 

“What other supernaturals have you met before?” Rafael asked.

“Things you probably never heard of,” Seylah responded. She cleared her throat, “Have Hector and Maria introduced you to supernaturals?” She asked Landon specifically. 

“Actually,” Landon let out an awkward laugh. “I was sorta… Born into the uh, community.” Seylah paused her movements, she glanced at Landon.

“What?”

“He's a phoenix,” Josie says. “You must've met another phoenix before… Right?” 

“I've met a lot of creatures in my life, but I've not exactly met a phoenix before. Although, I'm not surprised they exist.” Seylah slid the kids over their beverages, she rested her elbows on the bar, she leaned forward a bit. “How did you learn what you were?”

“Well, there was an incident with a vampire.” Seylah raised an eyebrow at her son, Landon shrugs with a half smile. “Let's just say I learned my lesson to not mess with a vampire.”

“It makes sense that you're… That. Your… Father wasn't actually normal.” Seylah bit the inside of her cheek, “I didn't really know him apart from work.”

“Was he supernatural?” Landon asked.

“In a way he was,” Seylah uttered. She pushed off the bar to make herself a drink.

“In a way? What does that mean?”

“It's a little hard to explain, I've never actually pictured telling you about this before.” Seylah glanced at her son, “I didn't think you'd want to know.”

“Of course I would,” Landon said. “I just want to know how I became what I am.”

“I worked at a facility that would handle supernatural creatures,” Seylah starts, she turned to face the kids, her beverage in hand. “My job was to protect the identity of all supernaturals being discovered, and to take care of those who would hinder this idea.” 

“Take care of?” Rafael raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you…”

Seylah nodded, “Yes, we'd have to cease the existence of some creatures.”

“So you're some kind of hitman?” Landon inquired.

“In a way.” Seylah shrugged, “We all were.”

“So how did you meet Landon's dad?” Josie asked.

“He was a part of the business,” Seylah replied. She gazed down at her own drink. “He was… Dangerous. But, we stayed safe as long as he was… Contained.” Josie shared a confusing glance between Rafael and Landon. 

“Contained? What is he, some kind of monster?” Landon chuckled, although the look on his mother's face erased his smile. “Oh God, I'm part monster.”

“Not exactly a monster, more of a monster eater.” Seylah tilted her head a little, thinking over her words.

“He ate monsters? I'm not sure that's any better.” Landon furrowed his brows.

“He is a big help believe it or not. Without him, beings that threaten your identity would expose you all. And our job was to protect people and kids like you.” 

“But eating other… Monsters don't exactly sound like something a phoenix does,” Josie commented.

“Now that, I can't explain,” says Seylah.

“Where can I see him?” Landon asked, “If that's possible.”

Seylah sighed, “I know you may be curious about this Landon, but I don't think it's best for you to seek this out.” Landon frowned, he looked down at his hands, questions still lingering in his mind. “It's not because I don't want you to meet him, it's just… He is very dangerous, not only to monsters but to people like me, and kids like you.” 

Suddenly, Josie's phone rang. The siphoner stepped away from the boys to answer her phone. “So, what? He consumes more than just monsters?”

Seylah nodded.

“Even vampires?” Landon asked.

“Yes.”

“Did he not hurt you or something?” Landon questioned.

“No, and i can only think of it as a miracle.” Seylah sipped her drink for a few seconds before sighing. “I encountered him after my colleagues discovered I had information on some of the monsters we've taken away. I was curious about the whole thing, really.”

“What happened?” Rafael asked while sipping on his own beverage.

“I got into trouble,” She replied.“I was in big trouble. And to get rid of me, they handed me off to… Your father. Expecting him to make me disappear as well.”

“But you didn't,” Landon stated, more to himself than Seylah.

“But I didn't,” Seylah repeats. 

Silence fell over the trio, Landon couldn't exactly find the words on what to say, or ask. Unfortunately, his time would be short as Josie returned to the bar.

“Um, I hate to cut this short but there's a problem at the motel,” Josie informs. 

“What happened?” Rafael got out of his seat. 

“I'm not sure, my dad says we need to come back. Something about Hope passing out and some weird green thing,” Josie waved her hand, “I'll tell you in the car but we need to get going.” 

At the sound of Hope's name, Landon looked at Josie. She tries her best to finish her drink before thanking Seylah, Rafael gulps down the rest of his and followed Josie out the door. Landon slowly got up, Seylah then called his name.

“Yeah?” Landon paused.

“Do you still have that picture of us?” 

Without a response, Landon pulled out the photo and handed it to her. Seylah takes the photo and looks around for a few seconds before writing something down. She offered the photo back to him, “Maybe we could talk later, once you all have everything settled.”

Landon looked over the number written on the back of the photo and shared a look with his mother. He smiled slightly before leaving the cafe and joining Rafael and Josie back inside the car.

* * *

Hope stirred awake about an hour or two later. She blinked her eyes a few times realizing that she wasn't back in the motel anymore, and was back in the car. She sat up a bit, she had been leaning on Landon for support. Hope let out a yawn and lifted her hand to rub her eyes, shackles dangled from her wrist.

“You're up,” Says Dr. Saltzman, who peered at Hope through the rearview mirror. “You've been out for awhile now, I decided it was best to go back to the school.”

“Back to school?” Hope muttered, “What about Landon's mom?” Hope glanced at the sleeping phoenix.

“I didn't want to pull him away so soon but they've spoken and she has given Landon her number,” Dr. Saltzman informed. “That—whatever that thing was is freaking me out a little, plus we need to take care of your dark magic.” 

Dr. Saltzman parked outside another gas station and unbuckled his belt. He glanced back at Hope, “I need you to take it easy for now okay?” Hope nodded. The headmaster gazed at Lizzie who was on the other side of Hope, “Do you two want anything?” 

Both girls shook their heads and Dr. Saltzman left the car. A silent minute passed by when Lizzie spoke.

“I guess I have to thank you, or whatever.” It came out more of a mumble. Lizzie didn't bother to look away from the window as Hope gazed over at her. “For stopping that monster thing,” the blonde added.

“You're welcome.” 

“This doesn't change anything, though. I still very much hate you.” Lizzie crossed her arms, refusing to meet Hope's eyes. 

Usually Lizzie ends their confrontations with a sly remark and Hope let's it pass by. Back then, Hope just shrugged it off, she had gotten used to it and concluded to herself that Lizzie just hated her for no reason. But now, she knew the reason behind the blonde's hostility, and she wasn't going to let this pass by any longer.

“Okay, so I see we have a conversation to finish.”

“No.” Lizzie shook her head, “There's nothing more to talk about.” 

“I disagree—”

“You're a liar.” Lizzie glared at Hope, “You can't stand up for the fact that you made those rumors about me and that you're the cause of my suffering, you need to live with your guilt a little longer.” Lizzie huffed while staring back at the window.

“This makes sense,” Hope uttered, her eyes casting down on the shackles around her wrist. “All this time, I thought you were just taking your angry out on me because you were angry at the world, or something.” She shrugged her shoulder a bit, she looked up at the windshield and squinted her eyes a little. 

“If you really thought that I said those things about you, then you hating me all these years makes perfect sense.” Hope turned back to Lizzie, the blonde raised an eyebrow at her. “But with a father and a grandfather like mine, I'm probably not immune to those issues myself.”

The car was dark, the lights from the station shined through the car's window a little, and Lizzie's blue eyes stared curiously into Hope's. The Tribrid continued, “And… I don't take it lightly and I would never make fun of you for it.” Hope wasn't sure if Lizzie could see the sincerity in her eyes.

The blonde parted her lips to speak, but the car door opened again. Both girls looked away from one another as Dr. Saltzman handed them a few bags. He strapped his belt on and started to drive.

After Dr. Saltzman turned up the radio, Hope assumed her conversation with Lizzie was over. That was until she heard the blonde utter three words. 

“What did you say?” Hope whispered back. She met Lizzie's longing gaze. The blonde repeats;

“I believe you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peak for chapter six; 
> 
> “Okay guys, come on and settle down.” Ms. Tig led the group of students inside the office. As everyone was taking their places, Hope ambled into the room with her arms crossed. The Tribrid walked over to an empty seat and sat down. Emma acknowledged her with a soft smile before addressing a few things to the group. 
> 
> Before the door closed, Lizzie came in and sat next to Hope. The pair shared a look, Hope offered a smile. 
> 
> “Okay class.” Ms. Tig clapped her hands, “Today we'll be doing something a little different.” She sat back on her desk as a magical orb appeared in the middle of the students. “This orb gathers everyone's collective feelings.” As she says this, the orb glows green.
> 
> “I thought this would be an excellent exercise we can do together before and after our sessions. I want to see where all your heads are at,” Ms. Tig adds. The counselor walked around the kids, “I want you all to close your eyes and remain relaxed.” 


	6. Here For The Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids are back at the school, Hope doesn't seem to adjust too well.

_Hi Mom, Dad._

_I have an update for you._

_Lizzie Saltzman and I are friends, well somewhat friends now. It's still too early to tell if she'd go back to insulting me, but I am crossing my fingers for us to officially turn over a new leaf. The thing is though, I have no clue as to why Lizzie thought I would make fun of her for something she couldn't control. Regardless, the real problem is over and I can rest a little bit easier._

“Okay guys, come on and settle down.” Ms. Tig led the group of students inside the office. As everyone was taking their places, Hope ambled into the room with her arms crossed. The Tribrid walked over to an empty seat and sat down. Emma acknowledged her with a soft smile before addressing a few things to the group. 

Before the door closed, Lizzie came in and sat next to Hope. The pair shared a look, Hope offered a smile. 

“Okay class.” Ms. Tig clapped her hands, “Today we'll be doing something a little different.” She sat back on her desk as a magical orb appeared in the middle of the students. “This orb gathers everyone's collective feelings.” As she says this, the orb glows green.

“I thought this would be an excellent exercise we can do together before and after our lessons. I just want to see where all your heads are at,” Ms. Tig adds. The counselor walked around the kids, “I want you all to close your eyes and remain relaxed.” 

Hope thought that was easy enough, and as she closed her eyes she felt herself becoming relaxed. That was until she heard the whispers.

Her brows furrowed with concentration. The whispers were just low enough for Hope to hear, but inaudible at the same time. 

Unbeknownst to Hope, the orb in the middle of the room started to glow red. However, the other kids' thoughts fought through the red glow and the orb turned fully green again. That doesn't go unnoticed, Ms. Tig began to study each of the students' faces. 

Her eyes settled on Hope. The Tribrid grew a frown on her lips and she crossed her arms. The whispers grew louder but Hope wasn't sure what she was hearing were actual words. Besides the whispers, there was something else, something darker.

This feeling was familiar, she's felt the overwhelming control. Something similar to the control the Hollow had. 

“ _Převzít kontrolu_.” 

Suddenly, the whispers stop.

Hope's head dropped and the orb turns red in a matter of seconds. Ms. Tig glanced between the orb and Hope, “Keep calm everywhere, we were almost there.” The kids shift into their seats and spots of green fight through the red, but it wasn't enough.

“Hope,” Ms. Tig called out, though Hope wasn't responsive. “Hope?”

The windows suddenly shatter and the students jolt from their seats. Hope stood up, she slowly turned toward the broken windows that only lasted a second before she started to profusely vomit out black puddles. 

“Pře—Převzít!” Hope muttered.

“Okay, everyone please excuse… This.” Ms. Tig ushered the group of students, all except Lizzie. “We will continue this meeting in a little bit!”

The blonde went over by Hope. “We need to get you out of he—” Lizzie backed away once seeing Hope's blue eyes being completely black. 

“Pře—Pře…” Hope fell to the ground but remained determined. She crawled over to the broken windows. She stuck one arm out when Ms. Tig pulled her back with her magic, Hope was sent sliding across the floor. 

For a moment Ms. Tig and Hope shared a look, and Ms. Tig froze as she saw Hope's black eyes. 

Hope got back up on her feet and she held up her hand, preparing to cast a spell. 

Before she could say a word, Lizzie beat her first. “Phasmatos Somnus!” 

Hope falls unconscious.

“Sorry about that,” Lizzie says, “We were going to handle her dark magic later.” The blonde half smiled.

Ms. Tig frowned, her eyes never leaving Hope.

* * *

Dr. Saltzman hovered over Josie as she was performing a locator spell. However, the spell was proven to be unsuccessful. With a grown, Josie stopped the spell. “It's not showing up anywhere,” The siphoner tells her father.

“Maybe we didn't get enough of it's blood,” Dr. Saltzman suggested, although he didn't really believe his own point. 

“There's so much you can get from a branch,” Josie replied, motioning toward the large branch MG used to stab the monster with last night. “But I doubt that's the problem, maybe it just died or something.” 

“Even if that was the case, we don't need anyone else finding it, whatever it was,” Her father replied. Just then, the door opened and Landon came walking in with a clipboard. Josie stood up straighter and smoothed down her shirt.

“Dr. Saltzman.” Landon stopped in front of the headmaster's desk. “Am I interrupting?”

“No, we reached what seems to be a dead end anyway,” The headmaster says with a sigh. He looked at Landon, “Is there something you needed?” 

“Yes, actually.” Landon flipped a loose sheet of paper on the clipboard. “I was going to ask if you could help me with some research about my dad. My mom hasn't said much other than that he “eats” other monsters, is that any description of any supernatural beings you've heard of?”

“I haven't exactly met every creature out there, so no, that's not something I'm exactly familiar with.” Dr. Saltzman paused, “But, we have a lot of studies on a lot of creatures we probably haven't thought about, I could have Mr. Williams help you out with this if you'd like. He's good with this type of stuff.”

“I'll appreciate that.” Landon smiled. “Also, are there any updates about the mon—”

The office door bursts open, “Ric!” Caroline comes into the room with Ms. Tig following behind. “We have a problem.”

“What happened?” 

“Hope had a certain _issue_ during my session,” Ms. Tig answered. “She started puking up a dark substance, which can be concluded to her using dark magic.”

“Yeah, I know,” The headmaster wiped his face, letting out a long sigh. “I was going to take care of it.”

“Wait, you knew? Since when?” Caroline asked, “You knew what she was doing and let her around other students?”

“We just got back Care, I just wanted her to settle in for a bit before we got down with the whole ritual thing.” Caroline's brows knit together as Alaric explained his reasoning, she began to shake her head a little.

“She could've harmed someone—”

“Josie, Landon,” Dr. Saltzman cuts the vampire off. “How about you two wait outside and give us a moment here.” The kids silently leave the office and Caroline scoffs. Alaric looked at her, “What?”

“She could've hurt someone!” The vampire says, “But that wouldn't matter, as long as it's Hope Mikaelson, right?”

“Okay, we're not going there—”

“And why not?” Caroline asked, “She gets off Scott free for everything she does because you won't discipline her.” 

“I'm doing the best I can here, she been through a lot—”

“So has every kid here Ric!” Caroline retorted.

“She's different, Caroline.”

“Oh? So, if one isn't different enough for you, they get sent away like their nothing?”

Alaric remained quiet for a few seconds, “Is this about Wendy?” 

“It wasn't fair,” Caroline muttered. “What you did.” 

“Sometimes you have to make tough decisions,” Alaric replied, his eyes casting down at the floor. “Not every kid can be saved.”

“And what if it's our kids?” Caroline questioned, “What if it were them, then what? Would you say the same thing?”

“That would never happen to the girls,” Alaric replied.

“But if it did?” Caroline asked weakly. “She was just a kid, I was helping her—”

“I have a ritual I need to get prepared for,” Alaric cut her off, “So we can argue another time.” Alaric left the office leaving Emma and Caroline alone. Caroline kept her eyes on the floor, her vision becoming blurred with tears.

The room fell silent after a few more seconds. Emma cleared her throat, “I… Should get back to the kids.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I'll see you around Caroline.” Emma walked over to the door and before she left, she tilted her head a little to speak.

“And… I am sorry about Wendy.” Emma frowned, “But there wasn't anything we could do.”

Emma leaves the room, Caroline only scoffed while wiping her eyes to free them from tears.

* * *

Hope woke up some time later in the transition cell. She had been lying on her back but once she was fully conscious, she rolled over to her side to see the Phoenix standing on the other side of the bars. He had his back against the bars and turned around after hearing Hope sit up.

“Hey,” Hope greeted, she smiled weakly.

Landon turned around to face her. “Hey. The twins lifted the sleeping spell, they had to go pick up something but they'll be back,” he says to her. “I wanted to stay behind, couldn't miss your ceremony.”

“Let's not call it a ceremony,” Hope chuckled, “but thanks for staying.” The Tribrid stood up and walked over to the bars. From the look on Landon's face, she could tell he wanted to ask her something. “What?” 

“I want to know what you were doing,” He said. “Using dark magic? Is this the reason why you're sneaking out with Penelope?” 

“Do you remember that black goo on the school's gate a few weeks ago?” Hope asked him, Landon nodded. “I had a sample of it, and I was investigating it. Yeah, I used some dark magic with Penelope but only to figure out what the creature actually is.”

“Why didn't you tell me this?”

Hope shrugged, “I didn't want to tell anyone, I didn't think I had to since I figured I had everything under control.” She sighed as she thought about the circumstances she was in now. “Clearly, I don't.”

“Hey.” Landon reached his hand through the bars to grab Hope's. “Things may have not worked out the way that you wanted, at least you have people here to help.” He offered her a smile as he squeezed her hand a bit.

“Alright, you girls set up the spell,” Dr. Saltzman walks into the room with the twins. Lizzie works at opening the cell door as her sister's eyes were on Hope and Landon's interlocking hands.

After the door was opened, the twins quickly set up the spell and Hope sat in the center of the cell within a chalk circle the sisters drew. The twins sit beside one another and hold hands, Landon sat on the opposite side of them, next to Hope as well. 

Hope lied down and took a glimpse of an hour—glass in Josie's hand.

The twins begin to chant a spell as Hope shut her eyes. As the twins went on with the chant, Hope could feel a sort of energy pulling from her body. It was like a weight pulling lifted off of her, and the minute Hope opened her eyes, she realized she was sitting up.

She looked over at the twins who had their eyes closed, they were still saying the spell. She turned to Landon who had been looking at the floor. Hope followed his eyes, she saw herself lying there. 

Confused, Hope looked down at her ghostly hands. The hourglass in Josie's hand began to shake slightly as the dark magic was being vacuumed into it. 

“Hey,” Hope says to test out her voice, yet nothing happened. The twins continued chanting their spell, Landon didn't budge from his spot and Dr. Saltzman stood next to his girls with his arms crossed, looking down at Hope.

“What the—” Suddenly, Hope is pulled back down. She opened her eyes again and she had been lying down, like before. 

“You okay?” Landon asked, he helped pull Hope up. The auburn haired girl nodded. 

The twins stood up and Josie handed the hourglass to her father. The girls and Landon stood up and dusted themselves off. Dr. Saltzman stood in front of Hope to stop her from following behind. “There's still some hours left of the day, you need to complete your detention hours.” 

Hope groaned, Dr. Saltzman chuckled while patting her on the shoulder. “You get going now, And I will know if you skip it.” 

Hope rolled her eyes but walked out of the cell. She and Landon walked over to the library and Josie decided to tag along. Once they made it to the library, Hope leaned against the doorframe. 

“I'll see you later?” Landon asked, Hope nodded as the Phoenix kissed her cheek. She goes into the library to see another witch waiting for her, Penelope waved. Hope walked over to her with a smile.

“And here I thought you were skipping out lovely detention,” Penelope commented with a half smirk.

“Even if I tried, Dr. Saltzman “would” know.” 

Penelope smiled, her eyes traveled to the door. “What's that about?” Penelope nodded toward Landon and Josie who were talking by the door. The two share a laugh, and Hope shrugs.

“Don't know, friends usually do a thing called talking,” Hope remarked.

“Yeah, talking.” Penelope shook her head, “She is so obvious, you know?” 

Hope raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?” 

“Just look at her,” Penelope pointed. She then starts to play with her hair, mocking Josie as she does the same thing. “The hair thing, that stupid cute smile of hers, that shy gaze. It's obvious she likes him.”

Hope stared at the two, they nod at one another before leaving. “Oh,” Penelope tilted her head, “I wonder where those two might be going.” Penelope shared a look with Hope before walking past her.

Hope stood there for a few seconds longer, pondering a thought.

There's no way Penelope could be right… Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peak for chapter Seven;
> 
> Landon was a good guy.
> 
> He deserved someone just as good.
> 
> While she thought upon her relationship, her mind couldn't help but trace back to Lizzie. All these years the blonde would never get along with her and now suddenly, it's all changing. Lizzie's offering to help Hope and surprisingly she didn't hear any sarcastic remarks from the siphoner. 
> 
> Hope half smiled, she was glad that she and Lizzie were becoming friends, but that didn't solve her questions about her relationship with Landon


	7. The After Effects

After a long and boring detention, the day went by fast and Hope was already fast asleep in bed. As the night went on, Hope tossed and turned herself awake and groaned. She rolled over to her back and sighed, she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. She was debating whether or not she should just stay up, maybe turn on a lamp and draw or something. Her train of thought was interrupted with a sound.

_The blue eyed girl sat up slowly, her door was wide opened but no one was there. She glanced over at her roommate who was still in bed sound asleep._

_Hope was curious so she got out of bed and walked over to her door. She peeked out the door frame to see a student walking away._

_“Hey,” Hope says._

_The student stops momentarily, then they start walking again and turn a corner. Hope raised an eyebrow, she walked out of her room and quickly followed behind the mystery student._

_She followed the student who led her to the archive room. Hope was slightly on alert now and crept into the archive room. She gazed at some of the magical artifacts before seeing the student standing in front of an artifact._

_Hope tried taking a peak at what the student was looking at and it was the knife. With furrowed eyebrows, Hope ambled closer to the student. She reached out to put her hand on the student's shoulder._

_“Hey?”_

_The student turns their head slightly, Hope's eyes widened and she backs away quickly._

_“What's the matter?” The student inquired, a half smirk growing on their lips._

_“Scared?” The student turned around, and Hope shook her head at what she saw. This was no ordinary student. This was her._

_Hope looked down at what her doppelganger was now holding the knife tightly in her grasp. Hope looked up at her own face, everything seemed the same apart from her eyes. Her eyes were no longer blue and we're now fully black, her look-alike chuckled._

_“Bye, Bye.” Hope's look-alike jumps out at her, and suddenly Hope is engulfed in nothing but darkness._

Then, she wakes up. 

She was no longer in her bedroom, nor was she in the archive room either. Luckily she was still in the school, leaning against a wall.

“And where have you been all night?” Alyssa says as she walks up to Hope, a half smirk on her lips and her arms crossed. 

Hope ignored her and nearly ran toward her room and shut the door. She knew that whatever happened, that thing that she saw could only mean one thing. 

But it was nothing good.

* * *

Time was ticking.

The classroom was filled with students who were mostly ready to learn. Among those students had been Hope, and she was more concerned about what happened last night then the new spell their teacher was going to teach them. Whatever the spell was, Hope was sure she could just teach it to herself anyway. 

The Tribrid didn't have enough time to check the archive room to check if that knife had still been there, and it was eating her up inside. She wanted to check the room and see the knife there and be thankful that she was just having a weird dream. But a part of her knew there was a possibility that what happened, what she saw, was not a dream or some new development of sleepwalking.

Hope tapped her pencil on her desk rapidly, her leg bounced up and down until she heard a chair beside her screech for a moment. Hope jumped, she turned to see Penelope settling in beside her, the witch eyed Hope.

“What's up with you?” 

“What?” Hope asked back, “Nothing! Nothing, I'm totally fine!” She forced a chuckle. 

“Well, from where I was sitting it looked like you were ready to explode from your seat any second now. So tell me, what's going on?” Penelope whispered. 

Hope sighed, she sat down her pencil and kept her eyes on their teacher. “Something happened last night,” She mumbled. “It was like a dream, but not like one at the same time.” She slouched her shoulders a bit and glanced at the witch. “I think I might have stolen something, but I don't know where I put it.”

“You think?” Penelope raised a brow, “What is this “something” you may have taken?”

“The knife.”

“The knife?” the witch inquired, “Like, the knife you drew?” Hope nodded, Penelope groaned. “Please tell me this isn't related to you know what.”

“I think it is,” Hope replied, she frowned. “I think whatever spell the twins used made this creature thing worse, I saw myself standing in front of me!” Hope added as her brows furrowed. “I had these black eyes and it—I talked to me and it—me replied!”

“Okay, so we have to figure out what the hell is going on with whatever you experienced.” She nudged Hope. “Ask to use the bathroom.”

“What, why?”

“Just do it, and wait for me.”

Hope raised her hand, after a few seconds their teacher acknowledged her and granted her permission to leave the classroom. Hope shared a look with Penelope before disappearing out of the room.

After leaving, Hope made her way quickly to the bathroom and paced around as she waited for the other witch. When the door opened, she expected to see Penelope, but saw a different witch.

“Hey,” Lizzie says while standing at the door, hesitant to walk in.

“Hi,” Hope replied with a smile.

Lizzie walked in, “Should I ask why you're just standing here?”

“I'm waiting for Penelope,” Hope explained.

“Why?” The blonde questioned.

“Do you remember that knife you caught me stealing a few days ago?” Lizzie nodded. Hope continued, “Well, I think I actually stole it this time. Please tell me it wasn't super important.” 

Lizzie shrugged, “I don't know where that knife came from but it has to be important as it is here. Was here.” Lizzie leaned on the sink. 

Hope threw up her arms, “It could've just been a dream!” She walked over to the sink and put both her hands on it and leaned forward. “People have weird dreams, it was probably just something like that.”

“I'll be the judge of that,” Lizzie said, Hope looked over at her. “I'll go to the archive room and check if the knife is there.” 

“I should go with you,” Hope suggested, she leaned off of the sink. 

Lizzie shook her head, “You should be in class.”

“Shouldn't you be as well?”

“Nope, I have an off day.”

“Off day?” Hope repeated, “Is that some privilege the headmaster's daughters get?”

Lizzie nodded, “Basically.”

The bathroom door opens and Penelope walks in, “Hey, sorry for taking a while, you know that old bat gets nervous when more than one kid leaves the class.” Penelope glared at Lizzie. 

“No problem, Lizzie and I will check if the knife is there,” Hope clapped her hands together. “So you can go back to class if you want.”

“Uh, no!” Penelope said. “I wanna solve the mystery as well.”

“Then come with us,” Lizzie replied before leaving the bathroom. Hope shared a look with Penelope before shrugging, they followed behind Lizzie.

“Am I the only one questioning why she is going to check for the knife?” Penelope muttered to Hope, “What's this got to do with her?”

“Behave,” Hope uttered back to her. “Now is the perfect time to befriend the headmaster's daughter instead of being an enemy.”

Penelope only grumbled in response. Eventually, the trio went into the archive room and went over to where the knife was supposed to be. And as Hope was praying that last night was a dream, her hopes were crushed as the knife was missing from it's glass case. 

Hope groaned.

“And it's gone,” Penelope comments. She turned to Hope, “What are we supposed to do now?” 

“Is it crazy to ask if one of you has a picture of it?” Lizzie inquired, before the other girls could answer, she continued. “My memory isn't exact science and I need an accurate model of it if I'm going to search what it is.”

“Hope drew it,” Penelope replied, she reached into one of her pockets to pull out the drawing. She unfolds the sketch and hands it toward Lizzie. 

“Thanks.” Lizzie took the drawing and observed it for a few seconds. “I'll see what I can do.” The blonde leaves the room leaving Penelope and Hope alone. Once Hope was sure Lizzie was gone, she let out a sigh.

“I thought this thing was gone.” Hope ran her fingers through her auburn colored hair. “I felt it leave me, at least I thought it did but last night…”

“Now that Dr, Saltzman knows about our demon baby, maybe he'll help us,” Penelope suggested, although she was taking back that statement as Hope looked away from her, her shoulders slump. “You did tell him, right?” Hope didn't reply and Penelope sighed, “Great, now you're creating a bigger hole for yourself.”

“I thought it was handled,” Hope says while shrugging her shoulders. “I didn't think this would be happening right now.”

“But it is!” Penelope remarked, “You have to tell him now that you're sleep stealing.” 

“Let's not freak out, alright?” Hope says ironically, “Whenever Lizzie finds out what that knife is, then maybe we can figure out where I put it or who this demon thing wants with it.” 

“This is bad,” Penelope admits.

From outside of the room, someone sneaks up to the door, creeping in, invisible.

“I know,” Hope gazed up at the other witch. “But, wouldn't you rather keep this between us?” The tribrid asked while stepping closer to Penelope. “No one will get hurt if they don't know right?”

“That only works on certain situations,” Penelope replied, “And I'm pretty sure this,” Penelope paused to motion her hand between herself and Hope. “—Is a hurtful situation.”

“I will tell him soon, okay?” Hope offered,“ If this, whatever this is continues then fine. I'll tell him.”

“I hope soon is real soon for our sake,” Penelope says. “Luckily for you, I'm great at keeping secrets.” Penelope grinned. Hope smiled back gratefully. “Come on, we should get back to class.” Penelope wrapped her arm around Hope and together they left the archive room. 

Someone standing nearby unclenched their fist and reappeared.

Josie raised an eyebrow, curiosity and suspension ran in her thoughts. 

* * *

For the rest of the day, Hope was more assured that Lizzie could find something about the knife. She convinced herself that the knife wasn't that important, it wouldn't be so easy to find otherwise, right? 

Besides that, the day dragged on and Hope didn't see much of Lizzie or Landon for that matter. Penelope was close by which was nice, apart from the odd stares Josie would give them. 

Despite Josie's odd behavior, Hope's day was mostly decent. And when night came, she wasted no time in returning to her bed and crashing down. She wasn't exactly exhausted, but a good nap didn't sound too bad.

She did fear that what happened the night before would occur again, but she didn't have much time to dwell when her door opened. Hope rolled over to see Landon walking in. 

“Hey,” Hope muttered.

“Hey,” Landon repeated. The Phoenix walked over to her and sat on her bed, he had a journal in his hands. 

Hope tilted her head, “What's that?” glanced at the journal in his hands.

“My research book,” Landon replied. “Today I've been searching for some answers about my dad. With the information from my mom, Mr. Williams and I found some results, Josie helped a bit too. But there's no concrete evidence that my dad was one of the creatures we found.” 

“So in short words, no luck.” Hope sat up against her headboard.

“Basically. My mom has been texting me but nothing about my dad.” Landon sat his journal down, he propped his elbows on his thighs and interlocked his fingers together. He sighed, “So, what's going on with you?”

Hope shrugged, “Nothing much.”

Landon looked at her from over his shoulder, “Really?” he asked. “So you weren't planning anything… With Penelope?”

“What? No. Where'd you get that question from?” 

“It was just some things Jo said,” Landon replied, he looked away from her again. “It's nothing—”

“Can I ask you a question?” Hope cuts him off. Landon nodded. “Is there something I should be worried about?” She paused, “With you and Jo?” 

Lanonds eyes widened, “Now where'd you get that question?” He shook his head and continued before Hope could reply. “And no, there's nothing to worry about, she and I are only friends.”

“Okay,” muttered Hope. “I'm probably just overthinking things.”

Landon scooted over to Hope, “I assure you that you are the only one I want.” Landon smiled, he leaned in to plant a peck on her lips. “I should go to bed, see you tomorrow?” The tribrid nodded and the Phoenix got up from her bed and collected his journal. He sent a smile Hope's way before leaving the room.

Hope's smile dropped. She got under the covers and rolled over onto her stomach. She buried her face in her pillows wondering why she felt guilty at the moment. Perhaps it was what Landon had told her and the fact that she wasn't sure she could say it back and mean it.

She knew she liked him. In the beginning she felt those stupid butterflies in her stomach and was practically swooning when Landon met her gaze. But time has moved on now, and they've been together for quite some time. Maybe her feelings were starting to slip away, but it didn't make sense to her as to why they did.

Landon was a good guy.

He deserved someone just as good.

While she thought upon her relationship, her mind couldn't help but trace back to Lizzie. All these years the blonde would never get along with her and now suddenly, it's all changing. Lizzie's offering to help Hope and surprisingly she didn't hear any sarcastic remarks from the siphoner. 

Hope half smiled, she was glad that she and Lizzie were becoming friends, but that didn't solve her questions about her relationship with Landon.

Seeking advice, she rolled over to her side wondering if Alyssa would bother to talk to her. She thought it was worth a try.

“Alyssa?” Hope called, “Are you awake?”

“No,” Grumbled Alyssa.

“Come on, I need advice.” Although Hope couldn't see too well, she heard Alyssa shifting in her bed.

“What is it?”

“Let's say you have a friend who wasn't sure if they loved their boyfriend anymore What would you tell them?” There was a long pause before Alyssa actually responded, Hope almost thought the witch fell asleep.

“I would tell them to dump their boyfriend and find someone else,” Alyssa replied. “Goodnight, loser.” 

Hope frowned, that wasn't the advice she was looking for. She wasn't even sure what advice she was looking for. She'd have to figure this out on her own.

Knowing she wouldn't get any more out of Alyssa, she turned over to her back and stared up at the ceiling.

“Night,” Hope muttered before falling asleep.


	8.   Eater Of The Dark

Hope didn't consider herself to be very temperamental. 

Yeah, there were times where things were lit on fire or perhaps an entire room would shake whenever Hope was upset. So... Maybe she was a little temperamental, usually, she always had a reason for it. Maybe certain holidays that tugged her heart, or maybe someone was annoying her. To Hope, those were pretty solid reasons why she could feel the need to rip someone's head off. But today, she had no idea what was wrong.

She felt sick, the moment she woke up she wanted to vomit. This was something new, Hope never found herself sick before like this and the growing headache she had all day wasn't helping any of the symptoms. 

She sat on the gym's bleachers with her face buried into the palms of her hands. The group of students in the gym were playing dodgeball. Before today, Hope never realized just how _loud_ that game was. 

The dodgeballs slammed against nearly every surface of the gym and the loud cheers of the other students left Hope to move her hands to cover her ears. Even if doing so silenced what was happening around her, she still heard those whispers. 

Hope squeezed her hands closer to her ears if it was possible but it didn't stop. She began to rock back and forth with her eyes tightly shut. She was on the verge of exploding, all it took was one more thing to—

“Look out!” A voice shouted.

It came out as a distant mutter to Hope and soon she felt a ball slam into her leg. Hope withdrew her hands away and her eyes followed a ball that rolled down the bleachers. She stared at it for a while until a student rushed over to it to pick it up. Without thinking about any of the consequences, Hope jutted out her arm sending the student crashing into the wall. For a second, her headache seemed to ease up.

The student groaned loudly and the other onlookers froze in their spots, their eyes lingering on Hope to watch for her next move. 

Hope had her eye out on the student she just threw into the wall, it felt pretty good actually. The whispers went quiet when Hope held out her hand again, she had a magical hold on the young man and lifted him up in the air. The student reached his hands around his neck and gasped for air.

“Woah, what the hell?” Kaleb exclaimed. He came up to Hope and grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her to turn to him. “Hey, snap out of it! It was just an accident!”

The student drops to the ground suddenly. Hope turned around to look at him before glancing back at Kaleb who was giving her a are-you-crazy look. Without wasting another second, Hope bolted out of the room.

She made her way through the corridor in a hurry, the whispers were starting to chant once again and Hope needed to get out of the school. She was almost out of the building when she bumps harshly into another student who responds not so kindly to the incident. Hope handled it... Poorly. 

The student may or may not have been lit in flames. Luckily the fire was small and the witch took care of it. That didn't stop the stares Hope gained from her peers or the fact that some of them ran from her like she was a disease. 

Oops.

Hope rushed out of the double doors of the school and sucked in a breath of fresh air. Hope clutched her head, her headache coming in much stronger than before. 

Hope stumbled her way to no direction in particular and found herself at the old mill. As she stumbled inside, a few witches eyed her suspiciously. 

“There she is,” one witch uttered.

Lizzie who was among the witches pushed them aside a bit to walk over to Hope. “Is there a reason why you're inflicting fear in everyone?” 

“Have you found out anything about the knife?” Hope muttered, her fingers rubbing the temples of her head. Lizzie glanced back at the other witches before grabbing Hope's wrist and dragging her away from the mill. 

“I haven't found anything yet, but I'm still looking,” Lizzie answered. She let go of Hope's wrist and crossed her arms. 

“We need to find answers quickly,” Hope groaned. “Whoever has that knife must be the culprit of who is doing this to me. I mean, I can't sit anywhere without wanting to snap someone's neck at any moment.” Hope brushed her fingers into her hair, “I feel like I'm going to explode any second now. And it won't be pretty.” 

Lizzie hummed in response, she eyed around the surrounding area. Once she was sure they wouldn't cause any harm to anything or anyone, she uncrossed her arms and moved behind Hope to grab her shoulders to turn her into the forest clearing. 

“Scream.”

Hope raised an eyebrow, “What?” 

“Scream,” Lizzie repeated. 

“For... What?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, she removed her hands from Hope's shoulders. “You screamed and scared that creature away didn't you? How did it feel afterwards?” 

Hope shrugged, “I passed out.”

Lizzie tilted her head, “True. How about this, you feel like you're going to explode right?” she asked and Hope nodded. “Then let out all that energy, right here and right now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes!” Lizzie looked ahead of them at the clearing. “There's no one out here so you don't have to worry about hurting anyone. And I can't have you going back into the school blowing stuff up—”

“Are people saying I blew stuff up?” Hope interrupted.

“Just scream, Hope,” Lizzie said quickly and pushed Hope forward.

Hope glanced back at Lizzie before focusing on the clearing up ahead. Hope sucked in a breath and opened her mouth, although no scream came out. She crossed her arms, “I can't do it.”

“Don't be dramatic, just scream.”

“Isn't screaming dramatic?” Hope asked and turned to Lizzie. She wasn't seeing no amused expression and quickly turned away again and sighed. “Nevermind,” she muttered. “I'll just… focus.” Hope closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself. It took a few breaths to ignore that raging war between the chants and her headache.

After some time, she released a scream.

Her magic was thrown into the world and pushed aside some of the vegetation. The weight of whatever that mystery creature had on her poured from her like a waterfall and soon, she felt much better. But it was another thing for her legs. She falls to her hands and knees panting slightly.

Lizzie kneeled down beside her. Her hand rested on her back. “How did that feel?” 

“Better.” Hope glanced at the siphoner, “We still need to find information about that knife.”

“ _I'm_ going to find out more,” Lizzie corrected. “You need to go back to your room and try not to burn anything on your way there. I'll come back if I find anything alright?” 

Hope nodded, “Fine.” 

* * *

Wasting the day in your room doesn't sound like a hard thing to do, especially when you're on the verge of a meltdown. For Hope, staying in her room was probably one of the things she despised the most. Firstly, the minute she returned to her room she had an entire argument with Alyssa who seemingly can't make it to her own bed when she decides to bring her "partners" over. 

Eventually, Alyssa left the room and Hope thought that maybe she would've been alright until Landon came by. She may like the dude but he can be very annoying without trying to be. And perhaps she scared him off a little and the last she heard from him is he'd be stuck in the library with Josie and Darion again.

Then finally, she was left alone. Sleep came a lot easier than she imagined. Hope was thankful that she didn't cause any chaos for the rest of the day. By the time she woke up, she spotted Lizzie standing over her with a book in her arms. 

“Hi,” Hope mumbled tiredly.

“I found something,” Lizzie replied. Hope slowly sat up and Lizzie took a seat beside her. The blonde opened the book and flipped a page to a picture of the knife. “Here, it says;”

> “ _The knife of Trinity is one of a few items created from the Trinity coven, most of not all items have engravings of the letter T. Not much is known about this specific item other than it was created to stop a force known as The Eater Of The Dark_.” 

Lizzie closes the book, “So, we have two names, technically one. I tried searching for anything about the Trinity Coven but I found nothing and quite frankly, my brain is melting from all this research. I haven't bothered looking for this Eater Of The Dark thing yet.”

“Do you think that monster we saw could be the Eater Of The Dark?” Hope questioned.

“About that,” Lizzie says with a sigh. “That nightmarish monster has disappeared it seems. My dad is still trying to keep tabs on it but as of now, there isn't any luck with that. This could be a good sign, if it is The Eater Of The Dark and it's gone, we might not have anything to worry about.”

“Or bad sign, what if it's hiding for now to ambush us at any moment,” Hope suggests.

“Well, that's a thought too,” Lizzie mumbled. 

Hope looked away from Lizzie to think, “Hm. We should look into this Eater monster more before anything happens.”

“Again with this _we_ thing.” Lizzie stood up. “You need to stay away from pretty much anything as it seems you're a ticking time bomb.”

“I'm not that bad!” Hope insists, she stood up as well. “Maybe we'll find something faster if we work together.”

Lizzie thought about it for a while before rolling her eyes, “Fine. Have it your way. But, just in case you erupt, don't say I didn't tell you so.” Lizzie shoves the book against Hope's chest and steps away. Hope catches the book before it falls to the ground, the siphoner was on her way to leave the room.

“So, are we getting started?”

Lizzie stopped and turned around, “I'm going to start eating. Need I remind you, my brain is currently melting and I need nutrients.” Lizzie leaves the room. 

From the other side of the room, Alyssa shifts in her bed to face Hope. The Tribrid meets her eyes, “Well, what are you waiting for?” 

“How much of that did you hear?” Hope's eyes widened.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, “Enough to conclude you and Saltzman are weirdos. And I'm not too interested in hearing about the little monsters you're trying to discover, or whatever. Just go with her so I can sleep in peace.”

Hope lets out a sigh before leaving her room. 

* * *

Small hands rummage around in the fridge hopes of finding something worth snacking on for the night. After a few tries of picking around, Pedro pulled out yogurt. Pedro turned the yogurt in his hands, he wasn't sure he's hunger would be fulfilled by this tasty snack.

“And what do you think you're doing?” 

“Ah!” Pedro three the yogurt inside the fridge and shut the door in panic. Lizzie eyed him suspiciously, she crossed her arms. 

“Well?”

“I was just hungry,” Pedro stood up to straighten his pyjamas.

“Hungry? Shouldn't you be sleeping or something?” Lizzie asked, “It's past your bedtime.”

“I was going to go back to bed after i found a snack, but then I couldn't find anything I wanted.”

Lizzie walked over to the fridge, she eyed some of the things before looking back at the younger witch. “Go sit, I'll make you a sandwich.”

“Ham and cheese?”

“Yes.” Lizzie nodded and ruffled the boy's hair. “Now go sit down.” Pedro happily went over to the table and settled into a seat. Lizzie scanned the fridge longer to grab herself a drink.

“ _Elizabeth_?”

Lizzie froze. Her hand gripped the fridge's handle tightly. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. She slowly turned her head to see nothing behind her. _Good_ , Lizzie thought to herself before collecting the rest of the ingredients for Pedro's sandwich. 

Hope walked in and greeted Pedro with a smile. “Can I join you two?”

“Sure, but you're making your own food,” Lizzie replied. Hope only smiled, she placed the book on the table and stood beside Lizzie to make herself a sandwich. 

“Do you always stay up this late for a midnight snack?” Hope asked Pedro, the younger witch shook his head quickly.

“Not always. I used to sleep like an angel,” Pedro says while fluttering his eyes. “And now I keep waking up!” 

“What's waking you up?” Hope inquired.

“Nightmares,” Pedro says in a low tone. Hope glanced at the young boy. 

“What are they about?” Lizzie questioned, she handed him his sandwich.

Pedro took the sandwich in his hand. “Monsters,” he says before taking a bite. Lizzie and Hope share a look with one another. 

Lizzie rested her elbows on the table and leaned toward Pedro a bit. “Monsters? What kind?”

Pedro shrugged, “I don't really know. But, I did see you there.” His eyes land on Hope. 

“I was a monster?”

“Well, I think so.” Pedro took another bite before putting down his sandwich. “I don't think it was really you, though,” he muttered. “It just looked like you, but was more scary.”

“What was scary about this... Monster that looked like me?” Hope asked.

“It looked like a zombie,” Pedro explained. “But it didn't talk like a zombie. It talked like you.” 

“That doesn't seem so bad,” Hope comments.

“It wasn't because you looked like a zombie that it was scary. It was what you were doing that was scary.” Pedro picked up his sandwich again.

“What did zombie-me do?”

“Make more zombies.” 

Hope's brows knit together for a second. Lizzie walked over to the young witch. “Do you want me to tell Ms. Featherwood? She can probably make some cool potion or spell to help you not have so many nightmares,” the blonde suggested. The young witch nods eagerly at the thought.

“Yes, please!” 

Lizzie smiled, she placed her hand on the boy's back. “Alright kiddo, how about you finish this in your room? Just don't make a mess okay?” Pedro nodded again and jumped out of his seat. Once he left, Lizzie walked over to her unmade sandwich to finish making it. 

“Was it just me or was that... Odd.” Hope sat in Pedro's seat and took a bite of her own sandwich. 

“Very,” Lizzie says. “We can look into that some time later, unfortunately for us, we have another monster on our hands.” 

Hope looked back at the book she left on the table while she finished her sandwich.

“Yeah, One thing at a time.” 

* * *

After their midnight snack, the girls made their way to the library which happened to be empty. With not much to go off on, the two begin searching for anything relating to the Eater Of The Dark, and no surprise, they weren't exactly lucky. Lizzie collected a few books and made her way over to a table and began to flip the pages. Hope had a different approach, she scanned the shelves and if a book captured her attention, she would pick it out and scan through the pages quickly. She wasn't sure her method was faster, but it sure was straining her legs to stand up for so long.

“Hope!” Lizzie suddenly called out. Hope looked up from a book and saw Lizzie standing up from the table, a book in her hands. She walked over to Hope, “I think I got something.” Hope stood beside her to read a small paragraph. 

> “During the eleventh century, there was a beast that roamed the night. Old writings have been translated referring to this creature as “The Eater Of The Dark”. This beast seems to not have caused any harm against the people who wrote of it. It is unknown as to what this creature is however, descriptions show that this creature is “made of mud”. It is believed that this creature has been slayed by the use of some items belonging to a witch coven known as The Trinity.

“The Trinity,” Hope finishes reading. “Looks like they've popped up again.”

“The eleventh century,” Lizzie mumbled. “We should look for things during that time.” 

“Luckily the books are ordered by date.” Hope followed Lizzie to a shelf and Lizzie began to pull out some of the books. While she did this, Hope tilts her head a little as she noticed a bracelet hanging from Lizzie's wrist. 

“Have you always been hearing that?” 

Lizzie looked back at her then her eyes fell in the bracelet. “No,” She answered while looking back at the shelf. “It's my early birthday present.” 

“Oh, well, it's cute.” Hope suddenly felt embarrassed and forced a cough, she turned to the book shelf and pulled out a book. 

“Thanks.” Lizzie smiled for a second, “I can feel the magic in this thing so I doubt it was given to me purely because it would warm my dad's heart.” She shoved a book back into the shelf, a little too harshly than she intended.

“Well, I'll wish you an early birthday,” Hope changes the subject. “Usually I disappear whenever it's your birthday. No offence, but it's a lot happening at once. And don't get me started on the parties.”

Lizzie chuckled, “Yeah, I guess I can get a little crazier than usual.”

“That won't stop you from having another party though, is it?” Hope asked amusingly. Suddenly, Hope felt herself losing balance and she leaned against the bookshelf for support. 

Lizzie didn't notice this and spoke, “Not at all.” She continued checking out a few books, “It's one night of my life where I can have a good time. And it's a bonus that everyone pretends to like me, so.” Lizzie shrugged her shoulders.

Hope forced a smile. “Well, parties aren't really my thing. But uh, I'll go for you. If you want me to.” 

“I'd like that.” Lizzie grinned, she shook her head a little before losing her smile and clearing her throat. “Anyway, we need to focus.” Hope doesn't reply, she closes her eyes and is soon captured by darkness.

“Tell me if you find any—”

“Ad somnum,” Hope spoke out a spell and Lizzie fell to the ground. Hope's blackened eyes watch the siphoner fall and she saunters over to her. While kneeling, Hope opens her mouth. It stretches far too wide and beyond what a normal human could do. 

Leaning closer, Hope opens Lizzie's mouth and a black goop passes from Hope to Lizzie. Hope pulls back to spot dark veins protruding from Lizzie's neck. 

With a sinister smile, Hope lifts the spell, and the rest of the night is History.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n Pedro may or may not can see into the future 🤫


End file.
